Multimode communication device using configurable front-end and related method

摘要

A system and method providing variable-frequency IF conversion in a multimode communication device. Various aspects of the present invention provide a multimode communication device comprising at least one RF signal receiver adapted to receive at least a first RF signal corresponding to a first communication protocol and a second RF signal corresponding to a second communication protocol. A controllable frequency source is adapted to output a mixing signal characterized by one of a plurality of selectable frequencies. Such selectable frequencies comprise a first frequency corresponding to the first communication protocol and a second frequency corresponding to the second communication protocol. A mixer receives a received RF signal from the RF signal receiver, receives a mixing signal from the controllable frequency source, and converts the received RF signal to an IF signal utilizing the received mixing signal. A filter filters the IF signal in accordanc with selectable sets of filter characteristics that correspond to a particular communication protocol.