A front-end module (FEM) is disclosed that includes an integrous signal combiner. The integrous signal combiner can process received signals and use a set of resonant circuits to filter signal noise prior to recombination of a plurality of signal bands that form an aggregate carrier signal. These resonant circuits may be placed after a set of low noise amplifiers and can be used to more efficiently reduce noise and parasitic loading within each of a set of signal paths. Each resonant circuit may be configured to filter noise relating to a bandwidth for a signal that is to be combined with the signal of the signal path that includes the resonant circuit. In some implementations, the integrous signal combiner can be a tunable integrous signal combiner with resonant circuits that may be reconfigurable or dynamically configurable.

A wireless system includes an active oscillator and a front-end circuit. The active oscillator is used to generate and output a reference clock. The active oscillator includes at least one active component, and does not include an electromechanical resonator. The front-end circuit is used to process a transmit (TX) signal or a receive (RX) signal according to a local oscillator (LO) signal. The LO signal is derived from the reference clock.

A first local oscillator generates a modulation signal of a predetermined frequency. A second local oscillator outputs a local oscillation signal frequency-modulated by using the modulation signal from the first local oscillator. A quadrature detection unit subjects an FM signal to quadrature detection by using the local oscillation signal output from the second local oscillator and outputs a base band signal. A first reduction unit and a second reduction unit reduce a direct current component contained in the base band signal. A correction unit restores the direct current component by correcting the base band signal such that the base band signal is centered around an origin of a polar coordinate system on an IQ plane. An FM detection unit subjects the corrected base band signal to FM detection and generates a detection signal.

A method for calibrating a mixer, an apparatus using the calibrated mixer, and a method for using the apparatus to calibrate another mixer are disclosed. The method includes coupling a first RF signal characterized by a first timezero phase and a first RF frequency to the RF signal input. The method includes (a) coupling a first LO signal characterized by a first LO frequency and a first LO timezero phase to the LO signal input terminal; (b) determining an IF tone timezero phase of a tone from the IF signal output corresponding to the first LO signal; and (c) determining a first after LO signal path timezero phase from the IF tone and first LO timezero phase. Steps (a), (b), and (c) are repeated for second and third LO signals. An LO phase change as a function of frequency introduced by the LO signal path is then determined.

A radio module is configured to operate within a specialized frequency band, for example a band that has recently become available for use in the public domain. Superheterodyne techniques are used by a transmitter component of the radio module to frequency shift a conventional wireless data signal (e.g., used for WiFi, LTE telecommunications, etc.) into a designated band; a receiver component of the radio module is similarly configured to receive signals transmitted on the designated band and shift back into the conventional RF band (where standard components are able to further process the received signal).

A radio module is configured to operate within a specialized frequency band, for example a band that has recently become available for use in the public domain. Superheterodyne techniques are used by a transmitter component of the radio module to frequency shift a conventional wireless data signal (e.g., used for WiFi, LTE telecommunications, etc.) into a designated band; a receiver component of the radio module is similarly configured to receive signals transmitted on the designated band and shift back into the conventional RF band (where standard components are able to further process the received signal).

A configurable passive mixer is described herein. According to one exemplary embodiment, the passive mixer comprises a clock generator, a controller, and a plurality of passive mixer cores connected in parallel. The clock generator comprises a local oscillator drive unit for each passive mixer core. The controller varies an effective transistor size of the passive mixer by separately configuring each of the passive mixer cores to enable/disable each passive mixer core. For example, the controller may selectively enable one or more of the passive mixer cores to vary the effective transistor width of the passive mixer. As the performance requirements and/or the operating communication standard change, the controller may re-configure each passive mixer core.

Various data transmission detection systems are described. A receiver input through which a wireless data transmission signal is received may be present. A plurality of mixers in communication with the receiver input may be present, which may be digitally implemented. A data transmission detector may be present that receives a mixed wireless data transmission signal from each mixer and creates a plurality of scores. A match detection module may be present that receives the scores and identifies a highest score. The signal mapped to the highest score to be selected for further processing.

A user equipment (UE), receiver and method are generally described herein. The UE may include a mixer, a local oscillator (LO) and an analog-to-digital converter (ADC). The mixer may downconvert a differential radio frequency (RF) signal using LO signals and provide downconverted signals to the ADC. The mixer may provide decoupled lowpass filtering. The lowpass filter capacitors may retain charge when discharging is completed. For each differential signal, the mixer may have an input pullup resistor, first switches receiving the signal and driven by different LO signals, second switches receiving signals from the first switches such that connected pairs of switches may have driven by different LO signals, an ADC input resistor, charging capacitors each connected between first switches driven by the same LO signal, and grounding capacitors each connected to second switches associated with different RF signal outputs and driven by different LO signals.

For wireless cellular communications, a “smart” multi-band combiner system has a multi-band combiner and a passive inter-modulation (PIM) detection sub-system. The multi-band combiner combines multiple transmit signals in different downlink frequency bands into a single, multi-band transmit signal for transmission from a cell tower antenna. The PIM detection sub-system characterizes the frequency components in the multi-band transmit signal to predict PIM products and determine if any predicted PIM products might interfere with any receive signals in any uplink frequency bands. If so, the PIM detection sub-system generates a signal indicating the presence of such predicted interfering PIM products, and the system installer and/or the network administrator can take remedial action to prevent the PIM products from interfering with user communications.