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US 2025/0132749 A1Published application
Wideband electronically tunable filter and method
AssigneeNanowave Technologies Inc.
InventorsCharles William Tremlett NICHOLLS, Walid HAMDANE
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Abstract
In an aspect herein, the disclosure provides a method for implementing a wideband electronically tunable filter, comprising: receiving an RF input at a first frequency within a first RF band; up-converting the RF input based on mixing the RF input with a transposition signal from a second RF band non-overlapping with the first RF band; generating an RF filter output based on applying an RF filter characteristic to the up-converted RF input; down-converting the RF filter output based on mixing the RF filter output with the transposition signal, and outputting an RF output based on the down-converted RF filter output.
Claims77
An electronically tunable filter, comprising:
- a signal generator for generating a transposition signal;
- an input mixer in communication with the signal generator and configured to receive the transposition signal and a radio frequency (RF) input at a first frequency within an first RF band, the input mixer configured to output an up-converted RF input based on mixing the RF input with the transposition signal;
- a filter in communication with the input mixer and configured to receive the up-converted RF input, the filter producing a filter output based on applying a filter characteristic to the up-converted RF input, wherein the filter is selected to have a passband for limiting operation of the signal generator to a second RF band non-overlapping with the first RF band, for transposing the RF input to within the passband of the filter, and
- an output mixer in communication with the filter and the signal generator and configured to receive the filter output and the transposition signal, the output mixer configured to produce an RF output based on down-converting the filter output to the first frequency based on mixing with the transposition signal.
1 more element
The cascaded filter of claim 14, wherein the passband of the filter of the first electronically tunable filter is offset relative to the passband of the filter of the second electronically tunable filter.
A nested electronically tunable filter (NETF), comprising:
- an input transposition network configured to provide a first RF output comprising an RF input transposed up to a RF transposition frequency, the first RF output based on applying a first RF filter characteristic to an output of an up-conversion mixer configured to mix the RF input with a first transposition signal, wherein a passband of the first RF filter characteristic limits selection of the first transposition signal to a second RF band non-overlapping with a first RF band comprising the RF input;
- an electronically tunable filter (ETF), comprising:
- a signal generator for generating a second transposition signal;
- an input mixer configured to provide an intermediate frequency (IF) output comprising the first RF output transposed down to an IF transposition frequency of an IF band, the IF output based on mixing the first RF output with the second transposition signal;
- an IF filter in communication with the input mixer and configured to provide an IF filter output based on applying an IF filter characteristic to the IF output, and
- an output mixer configured to provide a second RF output comprising the IF filter output transposed up to the RF transposition frequency, the second RF output based on mixing the IF filter output with the second transposition signal, and
- an output transposition network configured to provide a third RF output comprising a second RF filter output transposed down to the first RF band, the third RF output based on an output of a down-conversion mixer configured to mix the second RF filter output with the first transposition signal, wherein the second RF filter output is based on applying a second RF filter characteristic to the second RF output.
4 more elements
A nested electronically tunable filter (NETF), comprising:
- an input transposition network configured to provide a first RF output comprising an RF input transposed up to a RF transposition frequency, the first RF output based on applying a first RF filter characteristic to an output of an up-conversion mixer configured to mix the RF input with a first transposition signal, wherein a passband of the first RF filter characteristic limits selection of the first transposition signal to a second RF band non-overlapping with a first RF band comprising the RF input;
- a first electronically tunable filter connected in series with a second electronically tunable filter, each of the first ETF and the second ETF comprising:
- a signal generator for generating a second transposition signal;
- an input mixer configured to provide an intermediate frequency (IF) output comprising the first RF output transposed down to an IF transposition frequency of an IF band, the IF output based on mixing the first RF output with the second transposition signal;
- an IF filter in communication with the input mixer and configured to provide an IF filter output based on applying an IF filter characteristic to the IF output, and
- an output mixer configured to provide a second RF output comprising the IF filter output transposed up to the RF transposition frequency, the second RF output based on mixing the IF filter output with the second transposition signal;
- wherein the first RF input of the second ETF comprises the second RF output of the first ETF, and
- an output transposition network configured to provide a third RF output comprising a second RF filter output transposed down to the first RF band, the third RF output based on an output of a down-conversion mixer configured to mix the second RF filter output with the first transposition signal, wherein the second RF filter output is based on applying a second RF filter characteristic to the second RF output.
5 more elements
A method for implementing at wideband electronically tunable filter, comprising:
- receiving an RF input at a first frequency within a first RF band;
- up-converting the RF input based on mixing the RF input with a transposition signal from a second RF band non-overlapping with the first RF band;
- generating an RF filter output based on applying an RF filter characteristic to the up-converted RF input;
- down-converting the RF filter output based on mixing the RF filter output with the transposition signal, and
- outputting an RF output based on the down-converted RF filter output.
2 more elements
A method for implementing a nested electronically tunable filter at an intermediate frequency (IF), comprising:
- receiving an RF input at a first frequency within an first RF band;
- up-converting the RF input based on mixing the RF input with a transposition signal from a second RF band non-overlapping with the first RF band;
- generating an RF filter output based on applying an RF filter characteristic to the up-converted RF input;
- down-converting the RF filter output to an IF band based on mixing the RF filter output with a second transposition signal;
- generating an IF filter output based on applying an IF filter characteristic to the down-converted RF filter output;
- up-converting the IF filter output based on mixing the RF filter output with the second transposition signal;
- generating a second RF filter output based on applying a second RF filter characteristic to the up-converted IF filter output;
- down-converting the second RF filter output based on mixing the second RF filter output with the transposition signal, and
- outputting an RF output based on the down-converted RF filter output.
6 more elements
A method for implementing serially cascaded electronically tunable filters, nested at an intermediate frequency (IF), comprising:
- receiving an RF input at a first frequency within an first RF band;
- up-converting the RF input based on mixing the RF input with a transposition signal from a second RF band non-overlapping with the first RF band;
- generating an RF filter output based on applying an RF filter characteristic to the up-converted RF input;
- down-converting the RF filter output to an IF band based on mixing the RF filter output with a second transposition signal;
- generating an IF filter output based on applying an IF filter characteristic to the down-converted RF filter output;
- up-converting the IF filter output based on mixing the RF filter output with the second transposition signal;
- down-converting the up-converted IF filter output based on mixing the up-converted IF filter output with a third transposition signal;
- generating a second IF filter output based on applying a second IF filter characteristic to the down-converted IF filter output;
- up-converting the second IF filter output based on mixing the second IF filter output with the third transposition signal;
- generating a second RF filter output based on applying a second RF filter characteristic to the up-converted second IF filter output;
- down-converting the second RF filter output based on mixing the second RF filter output with the transposition signal, and
- outputting an RF output based on the down-converted RF filter output.
9 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.