Reduced power-consumption receivers

Abstract

An exemplary embodiment disclosed comprises a mixer having a plurality of input leads; a first degenerative impedance element coupled to a first input lead of the mixer; a second degenerative impedance element coupled to a second input lead of the mixer; and a local oscillator (LO) system comprising a plurality of duty cycle modes to generate a LO signal for the mixer, the local oscillator system operates in a first duty cycle based on a first gain state of the mixer, and in a second duty cycle based on a second gain state of the mixer.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An apparatus comprising:
 a mixer having a plurality of input leads;   a first degenerative impedance element coupled to a first input lead of the mixer;   a second degenerative impedance element coupled to a second input lead of the mixer; and   a local oscillator (LO) system comprising a plurality of duty cycle modes to generate a LO signal for the mixer, the local oscillator system operates in a first duty cycle based on a first gain state of the mixer, and in a second duty cycle based on a second gain state of the mixer.   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the first gain state of the mixer comprises a high gain state and the second gain of the mixer comprises a low gain state. 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the first duty cycle comprises a lower duty cycle rate than a duty cycle rate of the second duty cycle. 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein each of the first and the second degenerative impedance elements comprising at least one of a resistor, a capacitor, a transistor, a resistor and a capacitor coupled in series, a resistor and a transistor coupled in series, a capacitor and transistor coupled in series, and a resistor and a capacitor and a transistor coupled together in series. 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the mixer comprises a plurality of mixers each having a plurality of input leads with each lead coupled to a different degenerative impedance element, wherein the LO system generates the LO signal for the plurality of mixers, and wherein the local oscillator operates in the first duty cycle based on the first gain state of the plurality of mixers, and in the second duty cycle based on the second gain state of the plurality of mixers. 
     
     
         6 . A method comprising:
 determining a gain state of a mixer coupled to a local oscillator (LO) having a plurality of duty cycle modes, wherein the determined gain state corresponds to at least one of a first and second gains of the mixer;   selecting a duty cycle mode from the plurality of duty cycle modes of the local oscillator system based on the determined gain state of the mixer;   instructing the local oscillator system to operate in a selected first duty cycle mode based on a determined first gain state of the mixer; and   instructing the local oscillator system to operate in a selected second duty cycle mode based on a determined second gain state of the mixer.   
     
     
         7 . A computer program product comprising:
 computer-readable medium comprising:
 code for causing a computer to determine a gain state of a mixer coupled to a local oscillator (LO) having a plurality of duty cycle modes, wherein the determined gain state corresponds to at least one of a first and second gains of the mixer; 
 code for causing the computer to select a duty cycle mode from the plurality of duty cycle modes of the local oscillator system based on the determined gain state of the mixer; 
 code for causing the computer to instruct the local oscillator system to operate in a selected first duty cycle mode based on a determined first gain state of the mixer; and 
 code for causing the computer to instruct the local oscillator system to operate in a selected second duty cycle mode based on a determined second gain state of the mixer. 
   
     
     
         8 . An apparatus comprising:
 means for determining a gain state of a mixer coupled to a local oscillator (LO) having a plurality of duty cycle modes, wherein the determined gain state corresponds to at least one of a first and second gains of the mixer;   means for selecting a duty cycle mode from the plurality of duty cycle modes of the local oscillator system based on the determined gain state of the mixer; and   means for instructing the local oscillator system to operate in a selected first duty cycle mode based on a determined first gain state of the mixer; and to operate in a selected second duty cycle mode based on a determined second gain state of the mixer.