Direct downconversion of multiband RF signals using bandpass sampling

Abstract-Bandpass sampling can be used by radio receivers to directly digitize the radio frequency (RF) signals. Although the bandpass sampling theory for single-band RF signals is well established, its counterpart for multiband RF signals is relatively immature. In this paper, we propose a novel and efficient method to find the ranges of valid bandpass sampling frequency for direct downconverting multiband RF signals. Simple formulas for the ranges of valid bandpass sampling frequency in terms of the frequency locations of the multiple RF bands are derived. The result can be used to design a multiband receiver for software defined radios.