HK1124449B - Method and system for processing signals received via communication media - Google Patents

Description

Method and system for processing signals received over a communication medium

Technical Field

The present invention relates to electronic power amplification and, more particularly, to a method and system for sharing Low Noise Amplifier (LNA) circuitry in single chip bluetooth and Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) systems.

Background

As mobile, wireless and/or handheld portable devices have evolved into multi-functional, "all-in-one" communication devices, these handheld portable devices have integrated an increasing range of functionality to handle a variety of wireless communication services. For example, a single handheld portable device may implement both bluetooth communication and wireless local area network communication.

Most of the front-end processing in wireless communication services is performed within analog circuitry. Front-end processing within a portable device includes a number of operations, including the reception of Radio Frequency (RF) signals, typically via an antenna communicatively coupled to the portable device. Tasks performed by the receiver on the radio frequency signal are, for example, demodulation, filtering and analog-to-digital conversion (ADC). Noise considerations are also important because the strength of the received radio frequency signal may be low. The generated signal processed by the front end is a baseband signal. The baseband signal typically contains digital data that is then processed within the digital circuitry of the portable device.

Front-end processing within the portable device also includes the transmission of radio frequency signals. Tasks performed by the transmitter on the baseband signal are, for example, digital-to-analog conversion (DAC), filtering, modulation, and Power Amplification (PA). The power amplified radio frequency signal is typically transmitted through an antenna communicatively coupled to the portable device. The antenna for receiving radio frequency signals and the antenna for transmitting radio frequency signals of the portable device may be the same antenna or different antennas.

One limitation to increasing the degree of integration of wireless communication services within a single portable device is that the analog circuitry for each wireless communication service is implemented in a separate Integrated Circuit (IC) device (or) chip. This may introduce a number of drawbacks and/or limitations to the portable device. For example, the increasing number of chips limits the degree of miniaturization of the physical size of portable devices. Therefore, the increase in the degree of integration results in a large physical size of the device, which will decrease the preference of the user. The number of chips is further increased by the need to repeat the ancillary circuits associated with each rf chip. For example, each rf chip requires a separate low noise amplifier circuit, a separate power amplifier circuit, and a separate crystal oscillator (XO) circuit for generating the clock signal and timing signals within each rf chip. The same similar circuit duplication occurs for digital IC devices for processing baseband signals from each individual wireless communication service.

As the number of IC devices increases, the power consumption within the portable device increases accordingly. This introduces another set of drawbacks, such as increased operating temperature, and reduced battery life between recharges.

Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional and traditional approaches will become apparent to one of skill in the art, through comparison of such systems with some features of the present invention as set forth in the remainder of the present application with reference to the drawings.

Disclosure of Invention

A method and/or system for sharing low noise amplifier circuitry in a single chip bluetooth and wireless lan system is shown and/or described in connection with at least one of the figures, as set forth more completely in the claims.

According to an aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of processing a signal received over a communications medium, the method comprising:

receiving signals compliant with a first wireless protocol and signals compliant with a second wireless protocol by a common LNA integrated within a chip, wherein a transconductance amplifier within the chip is used to couple an output of the common LNA to a first radio or a first receiver within the chip for processing the signals compliant with the first wireless protocol.

Preferably, the common LNA is integrated within a second radio or a second receiver within the chip for processing the signals complying with the second wireless protocol.

Preferably, the second radio or the second receiver is a WLAN radio or a WLAN receiver.

Preferably, the transconductance amplifier is integrated in the second radio or the second receiver.

Preferably, the first wireless protocol is bluetooth.

Preferably, the second wireless protocol is WLAN.

Preferably, the method further comprises: dynamically adjusting a gain within the common LNA.

Preferably, the first radio or the first receiver is a bluetooth radio or a bluetooth receiver.

Preferably, the method further comprises: upon receiving the signal conforming to the first wireless protocol, communicating the received signal from the common LNA through the transconductance amplifier to a subsequent LNA load integrated within the first wireless transceiving device or first receiver.

Preferably, the method further comprises: dynamically adjusting gain within the transconductance amplifier and subsequent LNA load.

Preferably, the method further comprises: upon receiving the second wireless protocol compliant signal, communicating the received signal from the common LNA to a subsequent LNA within a second radio or a second receiver integrated within the chip for processing the second wireless protocol compliant signal.

Preferably, the method further comprises: dynamically adjusting a gain within the subsequent LNA integrated within the second radio or second receiver.

According to one aspect of the invention, there is provided a system for processing signals received over a communications medium, the system comprising:

a chip comprising thereon a first radio or a first receiver for processing signals complying with a first wireless protocol;

the chip includes a common LNA enabling reception of the signals conforming to the first wireless protocol and signals conforming to the second wireless protocol, wherein a transconductance amplifier within the chip is used to couple an output of the common LNA to the first wireless transceiving device or the first receiver.

Preferably, the common LNA is integrated within a second radio or a second receiver within the chip for processing the signals complying with the second wireless protocol.

Preferably, the second radio or the second receiver is a WLAN radio or a WLAN receiver.

Preferably, the transconductance amplifier is integrated in the second radio or the second receiver.

Preferably, the first wireless protocol is bluetooth.

Preferably, the second wireless protocol is WLAN.

Preferably, the chip dynamically adjusts the gain within the common LNA.

Preferably, the first radio or the first receiver is a bluetooth radio or a bluetooth receiver.

Preferably, the chip, upon receiving the signal complying with the first wireless protocol, transmits the received signal from the common LNA through the transconductance amplifier to a subsequent LNA load integrated within the first radio or first receiver.

Preferably, the chip dynamically adjusts the gain within the transconductance amplifier and subsequent LNA load.

Preferably, the chip, upon receiving the second wireless protocol compliant signal, communicates the received signal from the shared LNA to a subsequent LNA within a second radio or a second receiver integrated within the chip for processing the second wireless protocol compliant signal.

Preferably, the chip dynamically adjusts the gain in the subsequent LNA integrated in the second radio or second receiver.

Various advantages, aspects and novel features of the invention, as well as details of an illustrated embodiment thereof, will be more fully described with reference to the following description and drawings.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of a mobile terminal according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram of parallel receive paths within a single chip that includes WLAN and Bluetooth radios in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram of a common LNA circuit for receiving WLAN and Bluetooth signals via a single antenna in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 4 is a circuit diagram of an LNA transconductance amplifier, a transmission line model and an LNA load for a second amplification stage for receiving Bluetooth signals, according to one embodiment of the invention;

fig. 5 is a flow diagram of a method of receiving WLAN and bluetooth signals through a single antenna using a common LNA circuit according to one embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

The invention will be further explained with reference to the drawings and the embodiments.

The present invention, in some embodiments, introduces a method and system for sharing low noise amplifier circuits in single chip bluetooth and wireless lan systems. The system comprises a chip integrated with WLAN and Bluetooth wireless transceiving devices. The radio frequency signals may be received through a single antenna connected to a common LNA integrated within the chip. Upon receipt of the WLAN signal, the signal will be passed from the shared LNA to a subsequent WLAN amplification stage integrated within the WLAN radio. Upon receipt of a bluetooth signal, the signal is passed from the shared LNA to a subsequent bluetooth amplification stage comprising a transconductance amplifier integrated within the WLAN radio and an LNA load integrated within the bluetooth radio. The LNA load includes, for example, cascaded (cascade) devices, inductors, and switched capacitor arrays. Gain within the LNA, including, for example, a common LNA, cascaded transconductance amplifier and LNA load and/or subsequent WLAN LNA amplification stages, may be dynamically adjusted. The output from the subsequent amplifier stage may be passed to a mixer for further processing.

Fig. 1 is a schematic block diagram of a mobile terminal including a single chip WLAN and bluetooth radio in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in fig. 1, the wireless terminal 120 includes a radio frequency receiver 123a, a radio frequency transmitter 123b, a digital baseband processor 129, a processor 125, and a memory 127. The wireless terminal 120 may communicate through WLAN and bluetooth networks. In one embodiment of the present invention, the rf receiver 123a and the rf transmitter 123b may be integrated within a single rf transceiver 122. For example, the rf receiver 123a and the rf transmitter 123b may be integrated into a single chip that contains both WLAN and bluetooth radios. For example, the single chip containing the WLAN and bluetooth radios may be implemented using a single cmos substrate.

A single transmit and receive antenna 121 is communicatively connected to the radio frequency receiver 123a and the radio frequency transmitter 123 b. In this regard, the single transmit and receive antenna 121 may enable WLAN and bluetooth transmission and/or reception. A switch or other device having a switching function may be connected between the rf receiver 123a and the rf transmitter 123b and may be used to switch the antenna between transmit and receive functions. The wireless terminal 120 may operate in a system such as a WLAN, a cellular network, a digital video broadcast network, and/or a Wireless Personal Area Network (WPAN), such as a bluetooth network. In this regard, the wireless terminal 120 may support a variety of wireless communication protocols, including the IEEE 802.11g/n standard specification for WLAN networks.

The rf receiver 123a may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, and/or code that may enable processing of a received rf signal. The rf receiver 123a may receive rf signals in multiple frequency bands according to a wireless communication protocol supported by the wireless terminal 120. Each frequency band supported by the rf receiver 123a has corresponding front-end circuitry for performing low-noise amplification and down-conversion operations. In this regard, rf receiver 123a is also referred to as a multiband receiver when rf receiver 123a supports more than one frequency band. In another embodiment of the present invention, the wireless terminal 120 includes more than one rf receiver 123a, wherein each rf receiver 123a may be a single band or multi-band receiver. The rf receiver 123a may be implemented on a chip. In one embodiment of the present invention, the RF receiver 123a is integrated on a chip with the RF transmitter 123b to form a RF transceiver. In another embodiment of the present invention, the RF receiver 123a may be integrated on-chip with more than one component within the wireless terminal 120.

The radio frequency receiver 123a may quadrature down-convert the received radio frequency signal to a baseband signal including an in-phase (I) component and a quadrature (Q) component. The rf receiver 123a may perform direct down-conversion on the received rf signal to convert it into baseband signals. In some cases, the rf receiver 123a may perform analog-to-digital conversion on the baseband signal components before passing them to the digital baseband processor 129. In other cases, rf receiver 123a may transmit the baseband signal component in analog form.

The digital baseband processor 129 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, and/or code that may enable processing and/or processing of baseband signals. In this regard, the digital baseband processor 129 may process signals received from the radio frequency receiver 123a and/or signals to be transmitted to the radio frequency transmitter 123b (when the radio frequency transmitter 123b is available for network transmission). The digital baseband processor 129 may also provide control and/or feedback information to the radio frequency receiver 123a and the radio frequency transmitter 123b based on information from the processed signals. The digital baseband processor 129 communicates information and/or data from the processed signals to the processor 125 and/or memory 127. In addition, the digital baseband processor 129 may receive information from the processor 125 and/or the memory 127, which is processed and transmitted to the radio frequency transmitter 123b for transmission to the network. In one embodiment of the invention, the digital baseband processor 129 may be integrated on-chip with more than one component within the wireless terminal 120.

The radio frequency transmitter may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, and/or code that may enable processing of a radio frequency signal for transmission. The radio frequency transmitter 123b may transmit radio frequency signals in a plurality of frequency bands. For example, each frequency band supported by the radio frequency transmitter 123b has corresponding front end processing circuitry for amplification and up-conversion operations. In this regard, rf transmitter 123b, when supporting more than one frequency band, is also referred to as a multiband transmitter. In another embodiment of the present invention, the wireless terminal 120 may include more than one radio frequency transmitter 123b, wherein each radio frequency transmitter 123b may be a single band or multi-band transmitter. The radio frequency transmitter 123b may be implemented on a chip. In one embodiment of the present invention, the RF transmitter 123b is integrated on a chip with the RF receiver 123a to form a RF transceiver. In another embodiment of the present invention, the rf transmitter 123b may be integrated on-chip with more than one component within the wireless terminal 120.

The radio frequency transmitter 123b may quadrature up-convert the baseband signal including the I/Q components into a radio frequency signal. The rf transmitter 123b may perform direct up-conversion on the baseband signal to convert it into an rf signal. In some cases, rf transmitter 123 may perform digital-to-analog conversion on the baseband signal components received from digital baseband processor 129 prior to performing frequency up conversion. In other cases, RF transmitter 123b receives the baseband signal component in analog form.

The processor 125 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, and/or code that may enable control and/or data processing operations for the wireless terminal 120. Processor 125 may be used to control at least a portion of radio frequency receiver 123a, radio frequency transmitter 123b, digital baseband processor 129, and/or memory 127. In this regard, the processor 125 may generate at least one signal for controlling operations within the wireless terminal 120. The processor 125 may also execute applications used by the wireless terminal 120. For example, the processor 125 may generate at least one control signal and/or may execute applications to enable current and proposed WLAN communications and/or bluetooth communications within the wireless terminal 120.

The memory 127 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, and/or code that may enable storage of data and/or other information for use by the wireless terminal 120. For example, memory 127 may be used to store processed data generated by digital baseband processor 129 and/or processor 125. Memory 127 may also be used to store information, such as configuration information for controlling the operation of at least one module within wireless terminal 120. For example, memory 127 may contain information necessary to configure radio frequency receiver 123a to receive WLAN and/or bluetooth signals within the appropriate frequency band.

Figure 2 is a schematic block diagram of parallel receive paths within a single chip containing WLAN and bluetooth radios in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in fig. 2, a portion 200 of the wireless terminal 120 includes a single antenna 201, a transmit/receive (T/R) switch 204, and a wireless transceiver chip 202. The radio chip 202 includes a WLAN radio 203 and a bluetooth radio 205. The wireless transceiver chip 202 may provide radio frequency signal transmission and reception operations for bluetooth and WLAN signals through the T/R switch 204. In this regard, the wireless transceiver chip 202 may perform at least a portion of the operations supported by the rf receiver 123a and/or the rf transmitter 123b shown in fig. 1.

The WLAN radio 203 includes an LNA 209A that contains suitable logic and/or circuitry for amplifying signals received via the single antenna 201 and the T/R switch 204. The bluetooth radio 205 contains suitable logic and/or circuitry to enable amplification of signals received via the single antenna 201 and the T/R switch 204. The configuration shown in fig. 2 corresponds to the case of parallel receive paths, where the first parallel path produces a portion of the received signal power that is delivered to the WLAN radio 203 and the second parallel path produces the remaining portion of the received signal power that is delivered to the bluetooth radio 205. Also shown in FIG. 2 are impedance or load values for LNAs 209A and 209B. For example, for LNA 209A within WLAN radio 203, input impedance 207A is close to 100 Ω. Similarly, for the bluetooth radio 205, the input impedance 207B is close to 100 Ω.

In operation, when a signal is received via the single antenna 201, a portion of the received signal may be passed to the LNA 209A within the WLAN radio 203 and the remaining portion to the bluetooth radio 205. Since the input impedance to the LNA is approximately the same, the received signal power may be divided equally between the WLAN radio 203 and the bluetooth radio 205. In this regard, performing parallel receive paths for the WLAN radio and the bluetooth radio within radio transceiver chip 202 may significantly reduce the strength of the signal received at the input of the first amplification stage (provided by the integrated LNA).

Fig. 3 is a schematic block diagram of a shared LNA circuit that receives WLAN and bluetooth signals through a single antenna in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in fig. 3, an exemplary portion 300 of a wireless terminal 200 is shown that includes a single antenna 301, a transmit/receive (T/R) switch 307, and a wireless transceiver chip 302. The radio chip 302 includes a WLAN radio 303 and a bluetooth radio 305. The wireless transceiver chip 302 may provide radio frequency signal transmission and reception operations for bluetooth and WLAN signals. In this regard, the wireless transceiver chip 302 may perform at least a portion of the operations supported by the rf receiver 123a and/or the rf transmitter 123b shown in fig. 1.

The WLAN radio 303 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, and/or code that may enable transmission and/or reception of radio frequency signals. WLAN radio 303 includes a common LNA308, a WLAN LNA313, and a transconductance amplifier (TCA) 315A. The common LNA308 contains suitable logic and/or circuitry for amplifying signals received via the T/R switch 307 via the single antenna 301. The common LNA308 may be integrated into a portion of the wireless transceiver chip 302 corresponding to a WLAN radio. The T/R switch 307 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, and/or code that may enable the wireless terminal 120 to transmit and/or receive signals using a single antenna. The common LNA308 may provide a first amplification stage or first stage amplification for WLAN signals and bluetooth signals received through the single antenna 301. WLAN LNA313 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, and/or code that may enable further amplification of WLAN signals. WLAN LNA313 corresponds to a second or subsequent amplification stage or second stage amplification for WLAN signals following the first amplification stage provided by common LNA 308. Similar to common LNA308, WLAN LNA313 may also be integrated into a portion of wireless transceiver chip 302 corresponding to a WLAN radio. The output of WLAN LNA313 may be communicated to other portions of WLAN radio 303, such as a mixer, for further processing of the WLAN signals.

TCA 315A, in combination with a bluetooth LNA load 315B on the bluetooth radio 305, may provide a second amplification stage or second stage amplification 312 for bluetooth signals after the first amplification stage provided by the common LNA 308. TCA 315A may be integrated into a portion of the radio transceiver chip 302 corresponding to a WLAN radio. TCA 315A includes suitable logic and/or circuitry to implement voltage-to-current conversion of bluetooth signals received from the common LNA 308. The output of TCA 315A may be transmitted to bluetooth radio 305 over a transmission line connection or trace (trace). The connection or trace may be represented as a pi-type RLC transmission line including parasitic elements such as resistor (R)317, inductor (L)319, capacitor (C1)321A, and capacitor (C2) 321B.

In one embodiment of the invention, the gain of the shared LNA308, WLAN LNA313, and/or the combination of TCA 315A and bluetooth LNA load 315B may be dynamically adjusted. In this regard, the bluetooth LNA load 315B may provide dynamic gain control performance and may provide channel frequency programmability through a variable capacitor. For example, the processor 125 and/or the digital baseband processor 129 shown in fig. 1 may be used to determine whether gain adjustment is required and to generate any suitable control signals to perform the required adjustment. Further, the common LNA308, WLAN LNA313, and/or TCA 315A may be activated or deactivated depending on the operation of the WLAN radio 303. For example, components within WLAN radio 303 may be disabled when not in use to reduce power consumption. The common LNA308, WLAN LNA313, and/or TCA 315A may be implemented using multiple stages.

The bluetooth radio 305 includes a Bluetooth (BT) LNA load 315B. The bluetooth LNA load 315B contains suitable logic and/or circuitry for providing current-to-voltage conversion. The bluetooth LNA load 315B, in conjunction with the operation of the TCA 315A, may enable amplification of the bluetooth signal received from the common LNA 308. The bluetooth LNA load 315B may use a cascode device, at least one inductor, and a switched/variable capacitor array. A second stage amplification or second amplification stage 312 for bluetooth signals may be provided by a TCA 315A integrated within the WLAN radio 303 and a bluetooth LNA load 315B integrated within the bluetooth radio 305. In this regard, the operation of the combination of TCA 315A and bluetooth LNA load 315B is substantially the same as the operation of the low noise amplifier. The output of the bluetooth LNA load 315B may be communicated to other portions of the bluetooth radio 305, such as mixers 323 and 325, for further processing of the bluetooth signal.

Since the shared LNA308 drives both the second amplification stage for WLAN signals and the second amplifier for bluetooth signals, if the second amplification stage or second stage amplification for bluetooth signals (i.e., TCA 315A and bluetooth LNA load 315B) is provided on the bluetooth radio, the shared LNA308 must drive an output voltage on a long transmission line that causes significant signal loss. Long transmission lines may also present an excessive capacitive load to the inductance within the shared LNA 308. By placing TCA 315A corresponding to bluetooth low noise amplification within the WLAN radio, the load of the shared LNA308 is significantly reduced. TCA 315A may then be used to drive a long transmission line to bluetooth radio 305 into bluetooth LNA load 315B. This approach may significantly reduce power consumption dictated by the design requirements of the shared LNA 308.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the bluetooth LNA load 135B may be activated or deactivated depending on the operation of the bluetooth radio 305. For example, components within the bluetooth radio 305 may be deactivated when not in use to reduce power consumption. The bluetooth LNA load 315B may be implemented using more than one stage.

In operation, radio frequency signals may be received through the single antenna 301 via the T/R switch 307. The received rf signal is first amplified by the common LNA308 within the WLAN radio 303 of the radio transceiver chip 302. In this regard, the common LNA308 may provide a first amplification stage for WLAN and bluetooth signals. The arrangement in fig. 3 differs from the parallel receive path in fig. 2 in that the arrangement in fig. 3 does not require a reduction in signal strength because the received RF signal is passed to a single LNA for first stage amplification.

After the first amplification stage, the WLAN signal will be amplified by WLAN LNA 313. In this regard, the path provided by TCA 315A and bluetooth LAN load 315B for subsequent amplification of the bluetooth signal is disabled. After the WLAN signal is second-stage amplified by WLAN LNA313, the WLAN signal may be passed to other portions within WLAN radio 303 for further processing.

Similarly, after the first amplification stage, the bluetooth signal may be amplified by a second amplification stage 312 comprising TCA 315A and bluetooth LAN load 315B. In this regard, the path provided by WLAN LNA313 for subsequent amplification of the WLAN signal is disabled. After the second stage amplification of the bluetooth signal by the second amplification stage 312, the bluetooth signal may be passed to other components within the bluetooth radio 305 for further processing.

Fig. 4 is a circuit diagram of an LNA transconductance amplifier, a transmission line model, and an LNA load for a second stage of amplification of a received bluetooth signal, according to one embodiment of the invention. As shown in fig. 4, a second amplification stage 400 for bluetooth signals. The second amplification stage 400 includes a transconductance amplifier (TCA)402 and a bluetooth LNA load 420. TCA 402 may be integrated within a WLAN radio within a single WLAN and bluetooth radio chip, such as radio chip 302 shown in fig. 3. In this regard, TCA 402 may correspond to TCA 315A. The bluetooth LNA load 420 may be integrated within a bluetooth radio within a single WLAN and bluetooth radio chip, such as the radio chip 302 shown in fig. 3. In this regard, bluetooth LNA load 420 corresponds to bluetooth LNA load 315B.

TCA 402 may include a differential pair that utilizes transistors 403 and 407 to convert the differential output voltage (V) from the common LNA308 into a current signal that may be delivered to the bluetooth LNA load 420. TCA 402 may use a reference current (REF1) to provide a suitable gain. The gain of the TCA 402 may be dynamically adjusted depending on the operation of the WLAN radio 303. Parasitic elements R1411, L1413, C1415A, and C2415B correspond to pi-type RLC parasitics due to the connection or trace between the drain of transistor 403 within TCA 402 and the source of transistor 423 within bluetooth LNA load 420. Likewise, parasitic elements R2412, L2414, C3416A, and C4416B correspond to pi-type RLC parasitics due to the connection or trace between the drain of transistor 407 within TCA 402 and the source of transistor 417 within bluetooth LNA load 420.

The bluetooth LNA load 402 includes a differential pair that converts the differential output current from the TCA 402 using transistors 417 and 423 into a voltage signal that can be delivered to mixers 425 and 427. The bluetooth LAN load 420 may use an inductor (L3)419 and a resistor (R3)421 to achieve current-to-voltage conversion. The bluetooth LNA load 420 may use a reference signal (REF2) to provide the appropriate bias voltage. Also shown is variable capacitor (C5)422A at the node driving mixer 425, and variable capacitor (C6)422B at the node driving mixer 427. The gain of the bluetooth LNA load 420 may be dynamically adjusted depending on the operation of the bluetooth radio 305.

Fig. 5 is a flow diagram 500 of a method of receiving WLAN signals and bluetooth signals through a single antenna using a common LNA 308. Following the start step 502, in step 504, the wireless terminal 120 receives a radio frequency signal via a single antenna. The radio frequency signal may be a WLAN signal or a bluetooth signal. The received rf signal may be transmitted to a wireless transceiver chip in the wireless terminal 120. The wireless transceiver chip may be, for example, the wireless transceiver chip 302 in fig. 3, which includes a WLAN wireless transceiver 303 and a bluetooth wireless transceiver 305.

In step 506, the shared LNA308 integrated within the WLAN radio 303 is shared by the WLAN signal and the bluetooth signal to improve the signal strength reduction effect that occurs in the parallel receive path configuration. In this regard, the common LNA308 may provide a first amplification stage for WLAN and bluetooth signals. In step 508, when the received signal is a WLAN signal, the process flow goes to step 510. In step 510, the WLAN signal is further amplified in a second amplification stage provided by WLAN LNA313 in WLAN radio 303. After the WLAN signal is amplified via WLAN LNA313, the signal will be further processed within WLAN radio 303. TCA 402 in fig. 4 may correspond to TCA 315A in fig. 3. After step 510, the flow proceeds to WLAN signal processing end step 512.

Returning to step 508, when the received signal is a bluetooth signal, process flow goes to step 514. In step 514, the bluetooth signal may be further amplified by the second amplification stage 312. The second amplifier stage 312 includes the operations provided by TCA 315A integrated in the WLAN radio 303 and bluetooth LNA load 315B integrated in the bluetooth radio 305. In this regard, the bluetooth LNA load 315B may correspond to a stage comprising a cascode device, at least one inductor, and a switched/variable capacitor array. After the bluetooth signal is amplified by TCA 315A and bluetooth LNA load 315B, the bluetooth signal is further processed in bluetooth radio 305. The bluetooth LNA load 420 in fig. 4 corresponds to the bluetooth LNA load 315B in fig. 3. After step 514, the process proceeds to the bluetooth signal processing end step 516.

In one embodiment of the present invention, a system for processing signals received over a communication medium includes a chip, such as chip 302 in fig. 3, that contains a first radio or first receiver for processing signals that conform to a first wireless protocol. In this regard, the first wireless protocol may be a bluetooth protocol and the first wireless transceiver or first receiver may be a bluetooth wireless transceiver or bluetooth receiver, such as bluetooth wireless transceiver 305. The chip also includes a common LNA, such as common LNA308, for receiving signals conforming to the first wireless protocol and signals conforming to the second wireless protocol. The chip also includes a transconductance amplifier, such as TCA 315A, for coupling the output of the common LNA to the first radio or the first receiver.

The shared LNA may be integrated within a second radio or a second receiver within the chip for processing signals compliant with a second wireless protocol. In this regard, the second wireless protocol may be a WLAN protocol and the second radio or second receiver may be a WLAN radio or WLAN receiver, such as WLAN radio 303. Likewise, the transconductance amplifier may also be integrated within the second radio or the second receiver. The chip can realize the dynamic adjustment of the gain of the shared LNA.

Upon receiving a signal that conforms to the first wireless protocol, the chip transfers the signal from the shared LAN through the transconductance amplifier to a subsequent LAN load, such as the bluetooth LNA load 315B, integrated within the first wireless transceiving device or the first receiver. The chip may enable dynamic adjustment of the gain of the transconductance amplifier and the LNA load integrated within the first radio or the first receiver. Further, upon receiving a signal that conforms to the second wireless protocol, the chip transmits the signal from the shared LNA to a subsequent LNA integrated within the second radio or second receiver, such as WLAN LNA 313. The chip may enable dynamic adjustment of the gain of a subsequent LNA integrated within the second radio or second receiver.

Accordingly, the present invention may be realized in hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software. The present invention can be realized in a centralized fashion in at least one computer system, or in a distributed fashion where different elements are spread across several interconnected computer systems. Any kind of computer system or other apparatus adapted for carrying out the methods described herein is suited. A typical combination of hardware and software could be a general purpose computer system with a computer program that, when being loaded and executed, controls the computer system such that it carries out the methods described herein. The method is implemented in a computer system using a processor and a memory unit.

The present invention can also be implemented by a computer program product, which comprises all the features enabling the implementation of the methods of the invention and which, when loaded in a computer system, is able to carry out these methods. The computer program in this document refers to: any expression, in any programming language, code or notation, of a set of instructions intended to cause a system having an information processing capability to perform a particular function either directly or after either or both of the following: a) conversion to other languages, codes or symbols; b) reproduced in a different format.

While the invention has been described with reference to several embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted without departing from the scope of the invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from its scope.

Claims (6)

1. A method of processing a signal received over a communication medium, the method comprising:

receiving, by a common LNA integrated within a chip, a signal compliant with a first wireless protocol and a signal compliant with a second wireless protocol, wherein a transconductance amplifier within the chip is used to couple an output of the common LNA to a first radio or a first receiver within the chip for processing the signal compliant with the first wireless protocol;

the common LNA is integrated within a second radio or a second receiver within the chip for processing the signal following the second wireless protocol;

the transconductance amplifier is integrated within the second wireless transceiving device or a second receiver;

the method further comprises:

dynamically adjusting a gain within the common LNA;

upon receiving the signal conforming to the first wireless protocol, communicating the received signal from the common LNA through the transconductance amplifier to a subsequent LNA load integrated within the first wireless transceiving device or first receiver; and dynamically adjusting gain within the transconductance amplifier and subsequent LNA load;

upon receiving the second wireless protocol compliant signal, communicating the received signal from the common LNA to a subsequent LNA within a second radio or a second receiver integrated within the chip for processing the second wireless protocol compliant signal; and dynamically adjusting a gain within the subsequent LNA integrated within the second radio or second receiver.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the second radio or second receiver is a WLAN radio or WLAN receiver.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first wireless protocol is bluetooth.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the second wireless protocol is a WLAN.

5. A system for processing a signal received over a communication medium, the system comprising:

a chip comprising thereon a first radio or a first receiver for processing signals complying with a first wireless protocol;

the chip comprises a common LNA enabling reception of the signals complying with the first wireless protocol and signals complying with the second wireless protocol, wherein a transconductance amplifier within the chip is used to couple an output of the common LNA to the first radio or to a first receiver;

the common LNA is integrated within a second radio or a second receiver within the chip for processing the signal following the second wireless protocol;

the transconductance amplifier is integrated within the second wireless transceiving device or a second receiver;

the chip dynamically adjusts gain within the common LNA;

the chip, upon receiving the signal conforming to the first wireless protocol, communicates the received signal from the common LNA through the transconductance amplifier to a subsequent LNA load integrated within the first wireless transceiver device or first receiver; and the chip dynamically adjusts the gain within the transconductance amplifier and subsequent LNA load;

the chip, upon receiving the second wireless protocol compliant signal, communicating the received signal from the common LNA to a subsequent LNA within a second radio or a second receiver integrated within the chip for processing the second wireless protocol compliant signal; and the chip dynamically adjusts the gain within the subsequent LNA integrated within the second radio or second receiver.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the second radio or second receiver is a WLAN radio or WLAN receiver.