Beam forming and/or MIMO RF front-end
An RF front-end includes a transmit adjust module, a PA module, an antenna coupling circuit, a LNA module, and a receive adjust module. The transmit adjust module adjusts coordinates of up-converted analog signals when in a first transmit mode and adjusts coordinates of a plurality of up-converted analog signals when in a second transmit mode to produce to produce multiple adjusted up-converted signals and a plurality of adjusted up-converted signals, respectively, which are subsequently amplified by the PA module. The antenna coupling circuit provides the outbound RF signals to at least some of a plurality of antennas depending on the transmit mode and provides multiple or a plurality of inbound RF signals at least some of the plurality of antennas to the LNA module based on a receive mode. The receive adjust module adjusts coordinates of the multiple or plurality of amplified inbound RF signals based on the receive mode.
1. A wireless device comprising:
baseband processing circuitry;
up-conversion circuitry; and
a Radio Frequency (RF) front-end,
wherein, in an RF beamforming transmit mode:
the baseband processing circuitry is configured to convert outbound data into an outbound symbol stream;
the up-conversion circuitry is configured to convert the outbound symbol stream into an up-converted signal; and
the RF front-end is configured to adjust the up-converted signal to produce multiple adjusted up-converted signals, to amplify the multiple adjusted up-converted signals to produce multiple outbound RF signals, and to transmit the multiple outbound RF signals as a beamformed RF signal; and
wherein, in a multiple input multiple output (MIMO) transmit mode:
the baseband processing circuitry is configured to convert outbound data into a plurality of outbound symbol streams;
the up-conversion circuitry is configured to convert the plurality of outbound symbol streams into a plurality of up-converted signals; and
the RF front-end configured to amplify the plurality of up-converted signals to produce a plurality of outbound RF signals and to transmit the plurality of outbound RF signals as a MIMO RF signal.
2. The wireless device of claim 1 , wherein when the wireless device is in the RF beamforming transmit mode the baseband processing circuitry is further configured to adjust the up-converted signal to produce the multiple adjusted up-converted signals.
3. The wireless device of claim 1 , wherein when the wireless device is in the MIMO transmit mode the RF front end is further configured to adjust the plurality of up-converted signals to produce the plurality of outbound RF signals.
4. The wireless device of claim 1 , wherein in the RF beamforming transmit mode the RF front end is further configured to:
adjust a phase angle of the up-converted signal based on a first phase angle adjust value to produce a first adjusted up-converted signal;
amplify the first adjusted up-converted signal to produce a first outbound RF signal;
adjust the phase angle of the up-converted signal based on a second phase angle adjust value to produce a second adjusted up-converted signal; and
amplify the second adjusted up-converted signal to produce a second outbound RF signal.
5. The wireless device of claim 1 , wherein in the MIMO transmit mode the RF front end is configured to:
adjust a phase angle of a first one of the plurality of up-converted signals based on a first phase angle adjust value to produce a first outbound RF signal; and
adjust a phase angle of a second one of the plurality of up-converted signals based on a second phase angle adjust value to produce a second outbound RF signal.
6. The wireless device of claim 5 , further comprising:
a first antenna having a first polarization configured to receive the first outbound RF signal; and
a second antenna having a second polarization that differs from the first polarization and configured to receive the second outbound RF signal.
7. The wireless device of claim 1 , wherein the up-conversion circuitry and the RF front-end are formed on a common die of an integrated circuit.
8. The wireless device of claim 1 , further comprising a case in which the baseband processing circuitry, up-conversion circuitry, and RF front-end are housed.
9. The wireless device of claim 1 , further comprising host processing circuitry.
10. The wireless device of claim 1 , wherein the wireless device is configured to select between the RF beamforming transmit mode and the MIMO transmit mode.
11. The wireless device of claim 1 , wherein the wireless device is configured to select between the RF beamforming transmit mode and the MIMO transmit mode based upon a servicing communication infrastructure.
12. A wireless device comprising:
baseband processing circuitry configured to support both cellular and Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) communications;
up-conversion circuitry; and
a Radio Frequency (RF) front-end,
wherein, in an RF beamforming transmit mode:
the baseband processing circuitry is configured to convert outbound data into an outbound symbol stream;
the up-conversion circuitry is configured to convert the outbound symbol stream into an up-converted signal; and
the RF front-end is configured to adjust the up-converted signal to produce multiple adjusted up-converted signals, to amplify the multiple adjusted up-converted signals to produce multiple outbound RF signals, and to transmit the multiple outbound RF signals as a beamformed RF signal; and
wherein, in a multiple input multiple output (MIMO) transmit mode:
the baseband processing circuitry is configured to convert outbound data into a plurality of outbound symbol streams;
the up-conversion circuitry is configured to convert the plurality of outbound symbol streams into a plurality of up-converted signals; and
the RF front-end configured to amplify the plurality of up-converted signals to produce a plurality of outbound RF signals and to transmit the plurality of outbound RF signals as a MIMO RF signal.
13. The wireless device of claim 12 , wherein the up-conversion circuitry and the RF front-end are formed on a common die of an integrated circuit.
14. The wireless device of claim 12 , further comprising a case in which the baseband processing circuitry, up-conversion circuitry, and RF front-end are housed.
15. The wireless device of claim 12 , further comprising host processing circuitry.
16. A method for operating a wireless device comprising:
in an RF beamforming transmit mode:
baseband processing circuitry converting outbound data into an outbound symbol stream;
up-conversion circuitry converting the outbound symbol stream into an up-converted signal; and
an RF front-end adjusting the up-converted signal to produce multiple adjusted up-converted signals, amplifying the multiple adjusted up-converted signals to produce multiple outbound RF signals, and transmitting the multiple outbound RF signals as a beamformed RF signal; and
in a multiple input multiple output (MIMO) transmit mode:
the baseband processing circuitry converting outbound data into a plurality of outbound symbol streams;
the up-conversion circuitry converting the plurality of outbound symbol streams into a plurality of up-converted signals; and
the RF front-end amplifying the plurality of up-converted signals to produce a plurality of outbound RF signals and transmitting the plurality of outbound RF signals as a MIMO RF signal.
17. The method of claim 16 , further comprising, in the RF beamforming transmit mode, the baseband processing circuitry adjusting the up-converted signal to produce the multiple adjusted up-converted signals.
18. The method of claim 16 , further comprising, in the MIMO transmit mode the RF front end adjusting the plurality of up-converted signals to produce the plurality of outbound RF signals.
19. The method of claim 16 , wherein in the RF beamforming transmit mode, adjusting the up-converted signal to produce multiple adjusted up-converted signals comprises:
adjusting a phase angle of the up-converted signal based on a first phase angle adjust value to produce a first adjusted up-converted signal;
amplifying the first adjusted up-converted signal to produce a first outbound RF signal;
adjusting the phase angle of the up-converted signal based on a second phase angle adjust value to produce a second adjusted up-converted signal; and
amplifying the second adjusted up-converted signal to produce a second outbound RF signal.
20. The method of claim 16 , further comprising, in the MIMO transmit mode:
adjusting a phase angle of a first one of the plurality of up-converted signals based on a first phase angle adjust value to produce a first outbound RF signal; and
adjusting a phase angle of a second one of the plurality of up-converted signals based on a second phase angle adjust value to produce a second outbound RF signal.