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.

A configurable passive mixer is described herein. According to one exemplary embodiment, a passive mixer for a wireless receiver comprises a plurality of passive mixer cores coupled in parallel with each mixer core configured to receive a same set of radio frequency input signals and a separately driven set of local oscillator input signals. Further, each mixer core is configured to be separately enabled or disabled so that the passive mixer can be selectively configured during operation to convert the same set of radio frequency input signals to a set of downconverted output signals that satisfy a certain performance requirement or performance parameter of the passive mixer.

Embodiments of power efficient radio mixers are provided. A generalized impedance matched low-voltage active mixer circuit technique, which utilizes a plurality of commutator cells and transformers, is disclosed. The low voltage active mixer function is coupled to an impedance matched amplifier allowing for insertion of image rejection filtering between the amplifier and the mixing function. The commutator cells can be driven in parallel by common local oscillator (LO) and intermediate frequency (IF) ports combined in parallel to yield highly linear mixers. A multi-channel receiver with a common impedance matched radio frequency (RF) amplifier driving a plurality of commutator cells with multiple LOs and IFs is also disclosed.

An LO clock signal generator includes a fundamental mixer for mixing a source clock signal with a divided version of the source clock signal. The LO clock signal generator also includes a harmonic mixer for mixing the source clock signal with a third harmonic of a divided version of the source clock signal.

Embodiments of power efficient radio mixers are provided. A generalized impedance matched low-voltage active mixer circuit technique, which utilizes a plurality of commutator cells and transformers, is disclosed. The low voltage active mixer function is coupled to an impedance matched amplifier allowing for insertion of image rejection filtering between the amplifier and the mixing function. The commutator cells can be driven in parallel by common local oscillator (LO) and intermediate frequency (IF) ports combined in parallel to yield highly linear mixers. A multi-channel receiver with a common impedance matched radio frequency (RF) amplifier driving a plurality of commutator cells with multiple LOs and IFs is also disclosed.

An LO clock signal generator includes a fundamental mixer for mixing a source clock signal with a divided version of the source clock signal. The LO clock signal generator also includes a harmonic mixer for mixing the source clock signal with a third harmonic of a divided version of the source clock signal.

A novel and useful apparatus and method for an image-interferer aware single quadrature RF downconversion (SQRD) low intermediate frequency (LIF) receiver and related power reduction techniques utilized therein. The invention applies zero-margin adaptive transceiver (ZMAT) design principles to considerably reduce the receiver's power consumption in an adaptive fashion in accordance with the instantaneous reception conditions. In a low IF dual-branch (i.e. quadrature) downconversion receiver, the radio monitors the image strength and shuts off the receiver's Q branch (or I branch) when image rejection is not needed (i.e. when the relative image strength is below a threshold), thus significantly reducing power consumption in the RF receiver. A zero IF receiver is switched to a SQRD low IF receiver of lower power consumption when the image interferer strength is low enough to allow for a given required level of performance.

Embodiments of power efficient radio frequency mixers are provided. A generalized impedance matched low-voltage active mixer circuit technique, which utilizes a plurality of commutator cells and transformers, is disclosed. The active mixer techniques are reconfigurable between various operation configurations based, at least in part, on selectively activating at least one of a plurality of commutator cells. The low voltage active mixer function is coupled to an impedance matched amplifier which can be bypassed allowing changes in the gain of the mixer circuit suites while preserving impedance matching.

The present technology relates to a signal processing apparatus and method capable of increasing a harmonic rejection ratio while suppressing an increase in power consumption. In one aspect of the present technology, two local signals having a 1/3 duty ratio and phases mutually shifted by a 1/2 period are mixed with each signal of a differential signal, and a difference between results of the mixing of the two local signals is calculated. The present technology can be applied to, for example, a signal processing apparatus, a transmission apparatus, a reception apparatus, a communication apparatus, an electronic apparatus having a transmission function, a reception function, or a communication function, or a computer that controls those apparatuses.

Embodiments of power efficient radio frequency mixers are provided. A generalized impedance matched low-voltage active mixer circuit technique, which utilizes a plurality of commutator cells and transformers, is disclosed. The active mixer techniques are reconfigurable between various operation configurations based, at least in part, on selectively activating at least one of a plurality of commutator cells. The low voltage active mixer function is coupled to an impedance matched amplifier which can be bypassed allowing changes in the gain of the mixer circuit suites while preserving impedance matching.