597 results about "RF front end" patented technology

An encoded information reading (EIR) terminal can comprise a microprocessor electrically coupled to a system / data bus, a memory communicatively coupled to the microprocessor, an EIR device, a multi-band antenna, and a wireless communication interface. The EIR device can be provided by a bar code reading device, an RFID reading device, or a card reading device. The EIR device can be configured to output raw message data containing an encoded message and / or output decoded message data corresponding to an encoded message. The wireless communication interface can comprise a radio frequency (RF) front end electrically coupled to the multi-band antenna. The RF front end can comprise a micro-electromechanical (MEMS) filter array including one or more band-pass filter. Each band-pass filter of the MEMS filter array can be electrically coupled to a bias voltage source or an oscillating signal source. The RF front end can be electrically coupled to an analog-to-digital (A / D) converter and / or to a digital-to-analog (D / A) converter. The wireless communication interface can be configured to transmit radio signals in two or more frequency regulatory domains and / or receive radio signals in two or more frequency regulatory domains. The multi-band antenna can in one embodiment be provided by a meta-material antenna.

Circuit modules and methods of construction thereof that contain composite meta-material dielectric bodies that have high effective values of real permittivity but which minimize reflective losses, through the use of host dielectric (organic or ceramic), materials having relative permittivities substantially less than ceramic dielectric inclusions embedded therein. The composite meta-material bodies permit reductions in physical lengths of electrically conducting elements such as antenna element(s) without adversely impacting radiation efficiency. The meta-material structure may additionally provide frequency band filtering functions that would normally be provided by other components typically found in an RF front-end.

Multiple power amplifiers in an RF front end are coupled to multiple antennas without diversity switching between the PAs and antennas. Diversity switches direct signals to broadcast by a selected antenna to a PA coupled to the selected antenna. Multiple LNAs are similarly coupled to the diverse antennas. Having one PA and LNA set for each antenna removes the need for diversity switching between the PA / LNAs and each antenna improving signal reception. In one embodiment, a single external PA performs broadcast functions and plural on-chip LNAs are used for reception. In another embodiment, phase shifters are coupled to each PA and LNA, which provide beam forming capability for broadcasts, and in phase signal combinations for received signals.

In an RF front-end having a plurality of signal paths connectable to an internal antenna or an external antenna, an antenna switch part is used to select either the internal or the external antenna. In the antenna switch part, two series switches are used to operatively connect to the same connection point in each signal path. These two series switches are separately connected to two different antennas for selecting one of the antennas in order to route the signals in that signal path. For providing further isolation between signal paths, each signal path can be connected to a shunt switch near the connection point. Only the shunt switch connected to the selected signal path is operated in an open position, all the other shunt switches are operated in a closed position.

A monolithic integrated circuit (IC), and method of manufacturing same, that includes all RF front end or transceiver elements for a portable communication device, including a power amplifier (PA), a matching, coupling and filtering network, and an antenna switch to couple the conditioned PA signal to an antenna. An output signal sensor senses at least a voltage amplitude of the signal switched by the antenna switch, and signals a PA control circuit to limit PA output power in response to excessive values of sensed output. Preferred fabrication techniques include stacking multiple FETs to form switching devices. An iClass PA architecture is described that dissipatively terminates unwanted harmonics of the PA output signal. A preferred embodiment of the RF transceiver IC includes two distinct PA circuits, two distinct receive signal amplifier circuits, and a four-way antenna switch to selectably couple a single antenna connection to any one of the four circuits.

Telephone calls between a mobile station (MS) and the mobile network or PSTN are routed through the Internet via VoIP using a femtocell, as opposed to the traditional macrocellular network. The femtocell can comprise a USB Transceiver Station that is connected to a personal computer through a universal serial bus port, which provides both power and a multi-megabit per second connection between the personal computer and the USB transceiver station. The USB transceiver station can comprise a microcontroller to manage signaling between the RF front end / baseband processor and the personal computer, as well as a precise timing mechanism to assist the synchronization of femtocell timing with the surrounding macrocellular network, if it is present. The USB transceiver station can have a compact form factor that facilitates a high degree of portability by the subscriber, such as being readily attachable to their keychain.

A RF front-end having two antenna switches operatively connected to two separate antennas. The antenna switches can be used to route various transmit and receive paths to the antennas. In particular, one of the antenna switches has three switch position for use in selectively routing the 2 GHz receive paths, and another antenna switch has six switch positions for use in selectively routing the 2 GHz transmit paths and the 1 GHz signal paths. With the disclosed topology, the front-end can be used to support GSM and W-CDMA communications in many regional variants in the world. The supported variants include US1, US2, EU1, EU2 and EU / US modes. The same front-end can also be used in BT / WLAN connectivity. For MIMO purposes, one more antenna switch for the 2 GHz receive paths can be added to the same RF front-end.

Methods and devices are described for reducing receiver complexity in an RF front-end stage. In one exemplary implementation, a switch is used to connect a plurality of receive paths to a single input amplifier of a transceiver unit used the RF front-end stage. In another exemplary implementation, the switch has a tunable network which can be tuned with respect to various frequencies of operation of the receive path and associated RF signal.