JP2006502663A - Broadband signal processing apparatus, processing method and product - Google Patents

Abstract

An apparatus for electromagnetic processing includes a modulator for generating one or more elements representing an input signal, a divider controlled by the one or more elements and receiving an electromagnetic wave to generate a correction signal. A comparator for comparing the modified signal with a reference signal and generating a processed signal based on the comparison result, and a channel number calculator for selecting a channel for the processed signal, the input signal incorporating the channel selection .

Description

  The present invention relates generally to electromagnetic processing, and more particularly to broadband signal processing.

  Electromagnetic waves and signals (hereinafter “waves”) are used for many different purposes. For example, electromagnetic waves are processed to convey information, such as by attenuating, amplifying electromagnetic characteristics, etc., as seen, for example, in modulating the amplitude, frequency or phase of a current carrying data or radio frequency (RF) . As another example, power is transmitted along the wave in a controlled manner, such as by attenuating or amplifying electromagnetic characteristics, such as when modulating voltage or current in a circuit. Furthermore, applications can be combined, such as when information is transmitted through waves by processing power characteristics.

  Processing of electromagnetic properties can be accomplished by digital or analog techniques. Also, digital or analog attenuation or amplification can be combined. That is, the same wave is subjected to various digital or analog attenuation, amplification or amplification in the system to accomplish the desired task.

  However, it is difficult to process electromagnetic characteristics. For example, selecting an appropriate technique or component that modifies the wave characteristics is difficult for a number of reasons. One of these reasons is the type of wave being corrected. For example, low frequencies such as 60 Hz power waves require different processing techniques than high frequencies such as 24 GHz radar waves. Therefore, it is common practice to use different components with different characteristics for different waves. For example, a switching semiconductor used in a 60 Hz power wave computer has different power handling characteristics than a power semiconductor used in a 24 GHz radar system.

  An attempt at standardization techniques and components that have been used recently is to use wave characteristics as information for correcting waves. For example, by transforming a wave into polar coordinates with amplitude and phase characteristics, one or both of the characteristics can be manipulated in such a way as to provide a standardized technique for various wave frequencies. However, such attempts to date are limited by application difficulties. For example, attempts to use multiple amplifiers have suffered from the difficulties associated with combining amplifiers. Specifically, components such as transformers and quarter wave lines are used to sum the output of the amplifier to drive the load. These components add to the dimensions and dimensions of the amplifier array.

  Therefore, it would be useful in the field of electromagnetic processing to provide an efficient and accurate technique for electromagnetic processing.

  Embodiments of the present invention include a manufacturing apparatus, a manufacturing method, and a product for processing electromagnetic waves and signals. In one embodiment, an apparatus for electromagnetic processing includes a modulator for generating one or more elements representing an input signal, a division controlled by the one or more elements and receiving an electromagnetic wave to generate a modified signal. A divider, which compares the modified signal with the reference signal and generates a processed signal based on the comparison result, and a channel number calculator for selecting a channel for the processed signal, and the input signal is channel selection Is incorporated.

  In another embodiment, a method for wideband processing a phase component signal includes generating one or more elements representing an input signal, splitting an electromagnetic wave based on the one or more elements, and generating a correction signal; Comparing the correction signal with a reference signal and generating a processed signal based on the comparison result.

  Embodiments of the present invention include a manufacturing apparatus, a manufacturing method, and a product for processing electromagnetic waves and signals. For illustrative purposes, an exemplary embodiment comprises a broadband modulator configured to process electromagnetic waves and signals. The wideband modulator disclosed herein can be implemented in a wide variety of applications, such as transmitters, receivers, transceivers, and the like. For illustrative purposes, an exemplary transmitter incorporating a broadband modulator according to one embodiment of the present invention is disclosed in FIG.

  The exemplary transmitter 10 shown in FIG. 1 includes, for example, a baseband processor 100, an amplitude / phase signal processor 101, a wideband modulator 102, an adaptive phase realignment component 103, configured to receive an input signal, There can be one or more load lines 105 connected to the power amplifier 104 and the antenna. Details of transmitter 10 and its various components are detailed below.

  As used herein, the term “signal” refers to, for example, a current or electromagnetic field that includes, without limitation, a DC, AC, or one or more data streams that are switched on and off, and comprising an electromagnetic carrier comprising Should be construed broadly to include any way of passing data from one place to another. The data can be obtained, for example, in analog or digital form by being superimposed on the carrier current or carrier by modulation. Also, the term “data” as used herein should be broadly interpreted to include any type of information or other information, such as but not limited to acoustics such as speech, text, video, etc. It is.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the baseband processor 100 in this embodiment is a digital signal that can generate a data control signal and a power control signal in response to an input signal, which can be, for example, a baseband signal. It may be a digital signal processor, such as a processor. As described in more detail below, power may be regulated by a data control signal to generate an output signal for transmission, which is an amplified input signal.

  In the present embodiment, the data control signal generated by the baseband processor 100 includes an electromagnetic wave including data derived from the input signal. Data control signals are passed from the baseband processor 100 to the amplitude / phase signal processor 101.

In one embodiment, I and Q data is converted to polar coordinates signal by the baseband processor 100, the phase wave characteristic a ^p analog or digital data control signals including the amplitude wave characteristics a ^m of the input signal, and the input signal Is generated. For example, Cartesian to polar coordinate transformation can be used for the output polar coordinate system in the form of R, P (sin) and P (cos). The R coordinate represents the amplitude characteristic of the wave. The P (sin) and P (cos) coordinates represent the phase characteristics of the wave.

The amplitude and phase characteristics of the input signal are then transmitted to the power amplifier 104 through a separate path. The amplitude characteristics of the original input signal are modulated as a series of digital pulses comprising a digital word quantized from bits B ₀ to B _n-1 with the most significant bit (MSB) to the least significant bit (LSB). be able to. The digital word may vary in length in various embodiments.

  The phase characteristic may then be processed separately and then applied to the power amplifier 104. One exemplary method for processing phase characteristics is shown in FIG. FIG. 2 specifically shows an exemplary embodiment for the signal processor 101, wideband modulator 102, and adaptive phase realignment 103 of FIG. 1.

  In this embodiment, the phase data from the input signal is preferably passed first through a data scaling processor 120 that scales the amplitude of the data signal appropriately. The change in signal amplitude generated by the data scaling processor 120 is calculated to compensate for any gain of the output signal from the broadband modulator 102. Signal scaling is performed, for example, by any conventional means compatible with a data format in which the phase data signal is digital in one preferred embodiment, and scaling is performed digitally. In this embodiment, since the wideband modulator 102 is essentially a frequency modulator, the data conversion of the representative data frequency and phase occurs via dθ / dt 123 in FIG.

  The phase component signal is then preferably passed through a modulation compensation (homogenization) filter 121 calculated to have a magnitude and phase that is the reciprocal of the closed loop response of the broadband modulator 102. As described below, in some examples, the modulator 102 has a unique design bandwidth that minimizes signal noise. However, bandwidth limitations in this manner can cause roll-off or reduction of higher frequency components of the signal. The equalization filter 121 and the overall modulation response filter 122 compensate for roll-off by increasing the gain of these high frequency components, thus producing a more uniform (flat) frequency response of the system and the modulation band of the wideband modulator 102. Effectively extend the width. The equalization filter 121 is preferably implemented digitally using a digital signal processor, but is not limited to this, for example, an FIR (finite impulse response) filter or an IIR (infinite frequency response) filter. Either may be sufficient. The phase component data can also be passed through a global modulation response filter 122 that is calculated to set the global passband response of the wideband modulator 102 (eg, 4 MHz). The overall modulation response filter 122 similar to the equalization filter 121 may be an analog or digital FIR filter or IIR filter. Functionally, filters 121 and 122 may be coupled to a desired signal filter.

  In this embodiment, the baseband input signal may be modulated onto a carrier at a selected center frequency in the broadband modulator 102. The center frequency at which a given signal is modulated is determined by the channel calculation, which divides the carrier frequency (eg, 1880 MHz) by the reference source frequency to establish a channel for the signal.

  In this embodiment, the channel calculation yields a number having an integer part and a fractional part. As shown in FIG. 2, the channel calculator 124 receives the number of channels from the baseband processor 100 to determine a non-total number that can be selected, and the non-total number divides the carrier wave of the wideband modulator 102 to obtain phase data. Allows selection of the channel on which the signal is modulated. As an example of the channel calculation procedure, assuming a carrier frequency of 1880 MHz as an example, this number would be 23.5 to 24.5 as determined from the reference frequency. The fractional part of this number is then combined with the data signal that is passed to the sigma delta modulator (SDM) 125 of the broadband modulator 102. The SDM 125 is used in conjunction with a phase locked loop (PLL) 126 to achieve wideband modulation of the input signal on the carrier. The SDM 125 acts to arbitrarily sample the input phase data and oversample it in a state where the average of the plurality of samples of the output is equal to the input. The SDM 125 in this embodiment operates in such a way that the intrinsic quantization noise from the digital processing becomes frequency shaping, so that the noise is low at the desired frequency.

  The SDM 125, for example, inputs fractional phase / channel number data (which may be an analog or digital signal) and a series of adders / accumulators to output a series of digitized integers equal to the fractional input. And a feedback component. In the present embodiment, the SDM 125 is preferably configured in such a manner that the input range is sufficient for the phase modulation data, as is the fractional part of the channel number. In an exemplary embodiment, the SDM 125 is a 3-bit system that can generate eight different output numbers (eg, -3, -2, -1, 0, 1, 2, 3, 4), although it is understood As such, in other embodiments, the SDM 125 may comprise any desired number of bits or elements. In this embodiment, the SDM 125 preferably generates a 4-output integer that yields each input sample at an oversampling rate four times the input. In this method, sampling of the input modulation data of the SDM 125 may introduce noise of the input modulation signal. Such noise may be removed by the low-pass loop filter 131 of the PLL 126. 3 and 4 show two typical circuit topologies for the SDM 125. FIG. FIG. 3 shows a mash III topology and FIG. 4 shows a third-order loop topology. However, as will be appreciated, other suitable circuit topologies can be used for the desired SDM 125.

  The output of the SDM 125 of this embodiment is then combined with the integer part of the number of channels received from the channel calculator 124. In the example described herein, the combination produces a number from 20 to 28. The combination of the fractional part and integer part of the number of channels is an input to the divider 128 in this embodiment and is used to lock the PLL 126 to the desired high frequency carrier.

  The PLL 126 in this embodiment is preferably used for modulating a wave signal synthesized by an RF carrier signal source such as the carrier source 129 using the phase portion of the input signal. The carrier wave source 129 may be any electromagnetic wave source capable of generating a carrier wave, such as a high frequency voltage controlled oscillator (VCO).

  As shown in FIG. 2, in this embodiment, the reference frequency source 127 (ie, a division by a number) is divided by a series of numbers received by a divider 128 from the SDM 125 and the channel calculator 124. It is compared with the output frequency of the carrier wave source 129. The reference source 127 may comprise a constant frequency or near constant frequency VCO, or may be derived from a source at another frequency.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a phase frequency detector (PFD) 130 compares the relative phases of the two signals and then outputs a signal proportional to the difference (phase shift) between them. Since this output signal is used to adjust the frequency of the carrier source 129, the phase difference at the PFD 130 is preferably close to zero and equal to zero. For this reason, the phase of the signal is locked by the feedback loop to prevent unnecessary drift of the signal phase due to phase and frequency variations (ie, distortion) of the carrier source 129.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the feedback signal from carrier source 129 passes through divider 128, and the division ratio of the divider controlled by a series of numbers is the phase component information received from SDM 125 and the channel received from channel calculator 124. Represents information. The resulting signal is passed to the PFD 130 where the signal from the reference source 127 is compared as described above. This combined signal passes through the low pass loop filter 131 and is combined with the carrier signal of the carrier source 129.

  In this embodiment, the SDM 125 is used to perform wideband modulation of the phase data input to the SDM 125. Since the phase data input to the SDM 125 is not constant, a frequency offset that depends on the modulation signal can be introduced by synchronizing the SDM 125 to the output of the divider 128. Thus, in some embodiments, it is desirable for SDM 125 and divider 128 to be synchronized with reference source 127. For example, a buffer can be used between the output of SDM 125 and the input of divider 128 so that divider 128 can complete the division count before updating with a new series of samples.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the adaptive phase realignment component 103 is also used to dynamically adjust the PLL response and ensure that the closed loop response of the equalization filter 121 and PLL 126 is very good. The adaptive phase realignment component 103 measures the output phase of the wideband modulator 102 and compares it with the theoretically perfect one derived from the center frequency information received from the channel calculator 124 and the baseband input data. This comparison result is used to adjust the loop gain of the PLL 126 of the wideband modulator 102. This feedback system operates to minimize errors in the transmitted signal. The adaptive phase realignment component 103 preferably operates while the transmitter is in operation, reducing the need for manual calibration of the system.

  One exemplary embodiment of adaptive phase realignment component 103 is shown in detail in FIG. As will be appreciated, other suitable embodiments for adaptive phase realignment 103 may also be used if desired. 2 includes, for example, a digital phase lock loop (DPLL) 140, a reference error filter 142, a carrier phase detector / track and hold 144, a gain error detector 146, and a high frequency phase quantizer. 148 may be included.

The DPLL 140 operates to match the ideal phase to the actual high frequency phase by removing any constant phase offset Φ and random drift T _drift due to delay due to the SDM and RF quantized demodulation methods.

  Reference error filter 142 operates to generate a reference phase error waveform from the estimated loop filter phase function. This reference error signal acts as a basis function for the measured true phase error. By multiplying the true phase error signal with the reference error signal, the polarity of the PLL gain error preferably matches the polarity of the autocalibration feedback output. Furthermore, the average of the autocalibration feedback output is preferably proportional to the amplitude of the PLL gain error (regardless of the polarity of the phase information signal).

  The carrier phase detector / track and hold 144 operates to directly compare the digital summed carrier and phase (ideal values) with the sampled VCO high frequency true phase output. Carrier phase detector / track and hold 144 removes phase ambiguity, such as 2p radians phase ambiguity, as an example, and detects phase / frequency.

  The gain error detector 146 operates to generate an estimated delta of the PLL gain error and provide a correction signal for the PLL frequency phase detector to adjust the loop gain.

  A high frequency phase quantizer 148 is used to sample a high frequency carrier to extract baseband phase information and derive a modulated signal. This function can be realized by using an A / D converter as an example.

  Referring now to FIG. 1, the processed wave output from the broadband modulator 102 preferably has a constant envelope, i.e. no amplitude variation, but still has the phase characteristics of the original input signal. This output wave can then be sent to a desired location, such as power amplifier 104, which may comprise any of various suitable types of amplifier components. In an exemplary embodiment, the power amplifier 104 acts as a current source when properly regulated by the digital word output from the amplitude component. The amplitude portion of the input signal passes from the amplitude / phase signal processor 101 to the power amplifier 104 and drives individual pieces within the power amplifier 104 to generate a phase modulated carrier signal relative to the original input signal. Can be used to amplify or attenuate. This produces an output current from the power amplifier 104 that represents an amplified or attenuated carrier that contains information from the input signal.

  For example, in an embodiment having certain transmitter, receiver, and transceiver embodiments, the apparatus described herein may be used for various mobile phones, such as CDMA, CDMA2000, W-CDMA, GMS, TDMA, etc. A device dedicated to a specific input signal, carrier wave, or output signal may be used. Furthermore, it may be various wired and wireless devices such as Bluetooth, 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, radar, 1xRTT, radio, GPRS, computer, computer or non-computer device, and portable device. . The modulation schemes supported by various embodiments of the present invention include, for example, GMSK used for GSM, GFSK used for DECT & Bluetooth, 8-PSK used for EDGE, OQPSK & HPSK used for IS-2000, TDMA. P / 4DQPSK used for, and OFDM used for 802.11 are included.

  Embodiments of the present invention can use both desired analog and digital components as long as they process waves and signals that require both analog and digital components. For example, a mobile phone implementation mobile can use both analog and digital components. Various types of system configurations can also be used to configure the embodiments. For example, a semiconductor device such as a desired integrated circuit using silicon (Si), silicon germanium (SiGe), gallium arsenide (GaAs) or the like as a substrate or an integrated circuit for a specific application may include various components. .

  Although specific embodiments of the present invention have been described, those skilled in the art can easily make changes, modifications and improvements. Such alterations, modifications, and improvements resulting from the disclosure of the present invention are not expressly set forth herein, but are apparent from the disclosure of the present invention and form part of the description of the invention, It is intended to be within range. Accordingly, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the embodiments, various components, and features of the present invention include all of hardware, software, hardware and software combinations. Thus, the combination of each block of the drawing and the block of parts can be implemented in many different ways, as is well known to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the foregoing description is by way of example only and is not intended as limiting. The invention is limited only to what is presented in the claims and the equivalents thereto.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary transmitter. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating one embodiment of a wideband modulator used in the transmitter of FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating one embodiment of a sigma-delta modulator used in the wideband modulator of FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating another embodiment of a sigma-delta modulator used in the wideband modulator of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

103 Adaptive phase realignment component 124 Channel calculator 125 Modulator 128 Divider

Claims (32)

Generating one or more elements representing an input signal;
Dividing the electromagnetic wave based on the one or more elements to generate a correction signal;
Comparing the correction signal with a reference signal;
And a step of generating a processed signal based on the comparison result. Further comprising selecting a channel for the processed signal;
The method of claim 1, wherein the input signal incorporates a selection of the channel. The selection of the channel is represented by two components comprising a first component embedded in the input signal and a second component having a second input signal,
The method of claim 2, wherein the combining step includes the step of combining the second input signal and the one or more elements with the electromagnetic wave to generate the modified signal.   The method of claim 3, further comprising calculating the first component and the second component based on the channel selection. The channel selection is specified by a number,
The first component comprises a fractional part of the number;
The method of claim 4, wherein the second component comprises the integer part of the number.   4. The method of claim 3, further comprising providing the input signal in combination with the first component with a second electromagnetic wave.   The method according to claim 6, further comprising a step of processing the second electromagnetic wave before combination with the first component.   The method of claim 7, wherein the processing step comprises equalization filtering.   8. The method of claim 7, wherein the processing step comprises scaling.   The method of claim 7, wherein the processing step comprises modulation response filtering.   The method of claim 7, wherein generating a processed signal based on the comparison result of the correction signal with a reference signal further comprises compensating for an error detected in the processed signal. Method.   12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the compensating step includes a step of deriving a reference electromagnetic wave from the second electromagnetic wave and adjusting the correction signal based on the reference electromagnetic wave. Means for generating one or more elements representing an input signal;
Means for dividing the electromagnetic wave based on the one or more elements to generate a correction signal;
Means for comparing the correction signal with a reference signal;
A wideband processing apparatus for a phase component signal, comprising: means for generating a processed signal based on a comparison result. Means for selecting a channel for the processed signal;
The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the input signal incorporates a selection of the channel. The selection of the channel is represented by two components comprising a first component embedded in the input signal and a second component having a second input signal,
The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the second input signal and the one or more elements are combined with the electromagnetic wave to generate the modified signal. Means for calculating the first component and the second component based on the selection of the channel;
The channel selection is specified by a number,
The first component comprises a fractional part of the number;
The second component consists of an integer part of the number,
The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the first component is combined with a second electromagnetic wave to provide the input signal.   17. The apparatus of claim 16, further comprising means for processing the second electromagnetic wave prior to combination with the first component.   The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the processing means comprises one or more elements selected from the group consisting of a compensation filter, a scaling processor, and a modulation response filter.   The apparatus of claim 18, further comprising means for compensating for errors detected in the processed signal.   20. The apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the compensation means comprises means for deriving a reference electromagnetic wave from the second electromagnetic wave and means for adjusting the correction signal based on the reference electromagnetic wave. A modulator that generates one or more elements representing an input signal;
A divider controlled by the one or more elements to receive electromagnetic waves and generate a correction signal;
A comparator that compares the modified signal with a reference signal and generates a processed signal based on the comparison;
A channel number calculator for selecting a channel for the processed signal;
The electromagnetic processing device, wherein the input signal incorporates the selection of the channel. A channel calculator for specifying a selection of the channel represented by two components comprising a first component embedded in the input signal and a second component having a second input signal;
The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the second input signal and the one or more elements are combined with the electromagnetic wave to generate the modified signal. The channel selection is specified by a number,
The first component comprises a fractional part of the number;
The second component consists of an integer part of the number,
23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the first component is combined with a second electromagnetic wave to provide the input signal.   The apparatus of claim 23, further comprising a compensation filter, a scaling processor, and a modulation response filter.   25. The apparatus of claim 24, further comprising an adaptive phase realignment component that compensates for errors detected in the processed signal. The adaptive phase realignment component communicates with the comparator and derives a reference electromagnetic wave from the second electromagnetic wave;
The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the processed signal is adjusted by detecting an error in the processed signal based on the reference electromagnetic wave. A modulator that generates one or more elements representing an input signal;
A divider controlled by the one or more elements to receive electromagnetic waves and generate a correction signal;
A comparator that compares the modified signal with a reference signal and generates a processed signal based on the comparison;
An electromagnetic processing apparatus comprising: an adaptive phase realignment component that compensates for an error detected in the processed signal. The adaptive phase realignment component communicates with the comparator and derives a reference electromagnetic wave from the second electromagnetic wave;
28. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the processed signal is adjusted by detecting an error in the processed signal based on the reference electromagnetic wave. A channel number calculator for selecting a channel for the processed signal;
29. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the input signal incorporates a selection of the channel. A channel calculator for specifying a selection of the channel represented by two components comprising a first component embedded in the input signal and a second component having a second input signal;
30. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the second input signal and the one or more elements are combined with the electromagnetic wave to generate the modified signal. The channel selection is specified by a number,
The first component comprises a fractional part of the number;
The second component consists of an integer part of the number,
30. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the first component is combined with a second electromagnetic wave to provide the input signal.   The apparatus of claim 23, further comprising one or more elements selected from the group consisting of a compensation filter, a scaling processor, and a modulation response filter.

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