Analog Devices Global

Freescale Semiconductor,inc.

Sean Francis Sexton

Michael William O'Brien

Conor O'Keeffe

Norman Beamish

Dermot G O'Keeffe

Kenneth Stebbings

Michael Crowley

Joshua Nekl

An improved receiver for use in a data pocket communications is provide, where the process of configuring the gain of the receiver and identifying a preamble in the data packet are made more robust. The improved receiver does not need to rely on the received power level exceeding a trigger threshold to initiate the gain control. Instead the gain control runs while the receiver is waiting for a data packet. The frequency correction process can run concurrently with the gain control process.

Method of operating a receiver to process a preamble of a data packet, and to a receiver operating in accordance with the method

A communication unit comprises a plurality of antenna element feeds () for coupling to a plurality of antenna elements of an antenna array, where each antenna element feed comprises at least one coupler; and a plurality of transmitters operably coupled to the plurality of antenna element feeds. At least one transmitter of the plurality of transmitters comprises: an input for receiving a first signal and at least one second signal; beamformer logic arranged to apply independent beamform weights (RefBF1, RefBF2) on the first signal and the at least one second signal of the transmitter respectively, wherein each of the independent beamform weights is allocated on a per sector basis; and a signal combiner arranged to combine the first signal and the second signal to produce a combined signal, such as that the combined signal supports a plurality of sectored beams.

Communication unit, integrated circuit and method for generating a plurality of sectored beams

A method for calibrating an antenna array coupled to a plurality of transmitters via a plurality of couplers and a plurality of antenna element feeds is described. The method comprises, at a communication unit: selecting and coupling at least one coupler to a calibration receiver in a feedback path in the communication unit; scaling at least one first signal by at least one first beamform weight; applying the scaled at least one first signal to a first transmitter of the plurality of transmitters and routing the scaled at least one first signal via the selected at least one coupler to the calibration receiver; generating a reference signal by selecting and scaling the at least one first signal by at least one second beamform weight substantially equal to the at least one first beamform weight; comparing the at least one first signal scaled with the at least one first beamform weight with the at least one first signal reference signal scaled by the at least one second beamform weight to determine at least one first parameter result; storing the at least one first parameter result of the comparison associated with the first transmitter; repeating for subsequent transmitters the steps of selecting and coupling a further coupler, scaling, applying at least one further signal to a further transmitter of the plurality of transmitters, generating a further reference signal, comparing and storing at least one further parameter result until the plurality of couplers have been selected; and determining at least one calibration correction coefficient from a plurality of parameter results for applying to at least one second signal input to at least one transmitter of the plurality of transmitters coupled to the antenna array to substantially equalize a transfer function of a plurality of transmit paths to antenna element feeds for the at least one second signal having beamform weights applied thereto.

Communication unit and method of antenna array calibration

A clock signal generating arrangement for a communication device generates a system clock signal at an output for use as a timing reference. The clock signal generating arrangement comprises a reference clock generator for generating a reference clock signal, a main clock generator for generating a main clock signal having a greater accuracy than the reference clock signal, a clock adjust circuit coupled to the reference clock generator for generating a compensated reference clock signal to compensate for error in the reference clock signal and a clock signal selector coupled to the reference clock generator the main clock generator and the clock adjust circuit. The clock signal selector selectively provides to the output of the clock signal generating arrangement as the system clock signal the compensated reference clock signal when an error in the reference clock signal reaches a first predetermined threshold and until the error in the reference clock signal has been compensated and otherwise the reference clock signal when the communication device is operating in an idle mode or the main clock signal when the communication device is operating in an active mode.

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Cork, Ireland

Sean Francis Sexton