Multimode variable low intermediate frequency (vlif) radio architecture

Abstract

A variable low intermediate frequency (VLIF), millimeter wave (mmW) communication system includes a receive section having a receive radio frequency (RF) conversion stage, the receive RF conversion stage configured to convert a receive communication signal between RF and a first receive IF using a first local oscillator (LO1) signal generated by an integer-N phase locked loop (PLL) circuit, a receive variable intermediate frequency (IF) conversion stage, the receive variable IF conversion stage configured to convert the first receive IF signal to a first receive variable low IF (VLIF) signal using a second local oscillator (LO2) signal generated by one of the integer-N PLL circuit or a fractional-N phase locked loop (PLL) circuit, and a third conversion stage configured to convert the first receive variable low IF (VLIF) signal to a near-baseband signal using a third local oscillator (LO3) signal generated by a second fractional-N PLL circuit.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.