KR102370285B1 - Receiver and receiving method based on pulse - Google Patents

Abstract

A receiver and a receiving method using a pulse are disclosed. The disclosed receiver includes an antenna to which a radio signal is input, a pulse generator generating a pulse, an oscillator driven by the pulse and generating an oscillation signal based on the radio signal; and a measuring unit driven by a pulse and measuring an oscillation degree of an oscillation signal. Then, the radio signal is received based on the oscillation degree of the oscillation signal.

Description

Receiver and receiving method using pulses {RECEIVER AND RECEIVING METHOD BASED ON PULSE}

The following embodiments relate to a receiver and a receiving method using a pulse.

With the recent development of information and communication technology, IoT (Internet of Things) devices that send and receive data in real time by attaching sensors to objects are becoming common. IoT devices are miniature wireless transceivers, and by performing communication with low power, information can be exchanged and processed between distributed components such as objects. In order to implement an ultra-small and low-power communication system for these IoT devices, it is necessary to be able to perform wireless communication with good reception sensitivity and low power without delay in response.

A receiver according to an embodiment includes an antenna to which a radio signal is input; a pulse generator for generating pulses; an oscillator driven by the pulse and configured to generate an oscillation signal based on the radio signal; and a measuring unit driven by the pulse and measuring an oscillation degree of the oscillation signal, wherein the radio signal is received based on the oscillation degree of the oscillation signal.

In the receiver according to an embodiment, the radio signal may be received based on the oscillation time of the oscillation signal measured by the measuring unit.

In the receiver according to an embodiment, the measuring unit may generate an output proportional to the oscillation time of the oscillation signal, and the wireless signal may be received based on whether the generated output exceeds a predetermined threshold.

In the receiver according to an embodiment, the radio signal is received as a first value when the oscillation time of the oscillation signal is longer than a predetermined threshold time, and when the oscillation time of the oscillation signal is shorter than the predetermined threshold time, It may be received as a second value different from the first value.

In the receiver according to an embodiment, the amplitude or frequency of the radio signal input to the antenna may be received based on the oscillation time of the oscillation signal.

In the receiver according to an embodiment, the current provided to the oscillator from the start time of the pulse to the predetermined time point may be greater than the current provided to the oscillator from the predetermined time point to the end time of the pulse.

A plurality of capacitors applied to the oscillator in the receiver according to an embodiment mismatch each other from the start time of the pulse to a predetermined time point, and match each other from the predetermined time point to the end time of the pulse. can

In the receiver according to an embodiment, the inductor applied to the oscillator may have a Q-value greater than a predetermined threshold.

In the receiver according to an embodiment, the width of the pulse may be adjusted based on an output generated in proportion to the oscillation time of the oscillation signal in the measuring unit.

In the receiver according to an embodiment, an output generated according to the oscillation time of the oscillation signal by the measuring unit may be proportional to an oscillation frequency of the oscillation signal and a width of the pulse.

In the receiver according to an embodiment, the pulse generator may generate the pulse with a period smaller than 1/2 times the OOK modulation period of the radio signal.

In the receiver according to an embodiment, the wireless signal may be received based on an envelope of the oscillation signal measured by the measurement unit.

In the receiver according to an embodiment, the measuring unit may detect an envelope of the oscillation signal, and the radio signal may be received based on whether an amplitude of the detected envelope exceeds a predetermined threshold.

In the receiver according to an embodiment, the oscillator and the measurement unit may operate during a period in which a pulse is received from the pulse generator.

In the receiver according to an embodiment, the power consumption of the receiver may be determined based on a data rate of the radio signal and a width of the pulse.

The receiver according to an embodiment may further include an RF amplifier driven by the pulse, amplifying the oscillation signal and transmitting the amplified signal to the measurement unit.

A receiving method according to an embodiment includes generating a pulse at a predetermined period; generating an oscillation signal based on a radio signal input to an antenna while the pulse is generated; and measuring an oscillation degree of the oscillation signal while the pulse is generated, wherein the radio signal is received based on the oscillation degree of the oscillation signal.

1 is a diagram illustrating a receiver according to an embodiment.
2 is a diagram illustrating a receiver to which TDC is applied according to an embodiment.
3 to 6 are diagrams illustrating a process of receiving a radio signal in a receiver to which TDC is applied according to an embodiment.
7 is a diagram illustrating a circuit diagram of a receiver to which TDC is applied according to an embodiment.
8 is a diagram illustrating a process in which the receiver of FIG. 7 receives a radio signal according to an embodiment.
9 is a diagram for explaining a process of generating an output of a TDC based on a wireless signal according to an embodiment.
10 is a diagram for explaining an output of a TDC that is not affected by jitter of a clock generator according to an embodiment.
11 is a diagram illustrating a change in output of TDC according to a width of a pulse according to an exemplary embodiment.
12 and 13 are diagrams for explaining fast startup of a receiver according to an embodiment.
14 is a diagram illustrating a circuit diagram of a receiver to which a pulse width controller is applied according to an embodiment.
15 is a diagram for explaining power consumption of a receiver according to an embodiment.
16 and 17 are diagrams for explaining a receiver to which ED is applied according to an embodiment.
18 is a diagram illustrating a receiving method according to an embodiment.
19 is a diagram illustrating a method of controlling a width of a pulse generated by a pulse generator according to an exemplary embodiment.

Specific structural or functional descriptions of the embodiments are disclosed for purposes of illustration only, and may be changed and implemented in various forms. Accordingly, the embodiments are not limited to the specific disclosure form, and the scope of the present specification includes changes, equivalents, or substitutes included in the technical spirit.

Although terms such as first or second may be used to describe various elements, these terms should be interpreted only for the purpose of distinguishing one element from another. For example, a first component may be termed a second component, and similarly, a second component may also be termed a first component.

When a component is referred to as being “connected to” another component, it may be directly connected or connected to the other component, but it should be understood that another component may exist in between.

The singular expression includes the plural expression unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In this specification, terms such as "comprise" or "have" are intended to designate that the described feature, number, step, operation, component, part, or combination thereof exists, and includes one or more other features or numbers, It should be understood that the possibility of the presence or addition of steps, operations, components, parts or combinations thereof is not precluded in advance.

Unless defined otherwise, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. Terms such as those defined in a commonly used dictionary should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with the meaning in the context of the related art, and should not be interpreted in an ideal or excessively formal meaning unless explicitly defined in the present specification. does not

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Like reference numerals in each figure indicate like elements.

1 is a diagram illustrating a receiver according to an embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 1 , a receiver 100 according to an embodiment includes an antenna 110 , a pulse generator 120 , an oscillator 130 , and a measurement unit 140 .

The receiver 100 according to an embodiment is a device for receiving a wireless signal, for example, a low-power communication device, an Internet of thing (IoT) device, a bio-embedded communication device, a MICS (Medical Implant Communications System) device, etc. It may be implemented as a transceiver.

A radio signal is input to the antenna 110 according to an embodiment. The wireless signal is a signal transmitted and received through wireless communication, and may be, for example, an RF signal (radio frequency signal). The RF signal may be a signal modulated by Amplitude Shift Keying (ASK), for example, may be modulated by On-Off Keying (OOK). Alternatively, the RF signal may be modulated by frequency shift keying (FSK). Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, a case in which a wireless signal is modulated by OOK will be described.

The pulse generator 120 according to an embodiment may generate a pulse. The pulse generator 120 may generate a pulse according to a predetermined period. For example, the predetermined period may be less than 1/2 times the OOK modulation period of the radio signal. The pulse generated by the pulse generator 120 may be provided to the oscillator 130 and the measurement unit 140 .

The oscillator 130 according to an embodiment may be an inductor capacitor-voltage controlled oscillator (LC-VCO) driven by a pulse. For example, since the oscillator 130 is not driven during a period in which a pulse is not provided to the oscillator 130 , the oscillator 130 does not generate an oscillation signal. Conversely, while the pulse is provided to the oscillator 130 , the oscillator 130 is driven to generate an oscillation signal based on a radio signal. In other words, by driving the oscillator 130 only during a short period in which a pulse is provided from the pulse generator 120 , power consumption of the receiver 100 can be effectively reduced.

When a pulse is provided to the oscillator 130 , the oscillator 130 generates an oscillation signal based on a radio signal input to the antenna 110 . For example, the oscillation signal generated by the oscillator 130 may be different from a case in which a radio signal “1” is input to the antenna 110 and a case in which a radio signal “0” is input during a period in which a pulse is provided. The oscillator 130 may determine the presence or absence of an RF carrier, and generate an oscillation signal accordingly. The oscillation signal will be described later with reference to FIG. 2 .

The measuring unit 140 according to an embodiment measures the oscillation degree of the oscillation signal. At this time, the measuring unit 140 is also driven by the pulse. In other words, it is possible to measure the oscillation degree of the oscillation signal by driving during a period in which a pulse is provided from the pulse generator 120 . For example, the measurement unit 140 may measure the oscillation time of the oscillation signal or the envelope of the oscillation signal.

The wireless signal according to an embodiment may be received based on the oscillation degree of the oscillation signal measured by the measurement unit 140 . For example, the wireless signal may be received based on the oscillation time of the oscillation signal measured by the measurement unit 140 . Alternatively, the wireless signal may be received based on the envelope of the oscillation signal measured by the measurement unit 140 .

Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, a case in which a radio signal is received based on an oscillation time of an oscillation signal is described as a reference, and a case in which a radio signal is received based on the envelope of the oscillation signal will be described later with reference to FIG. 16 .

2 is a diagram illustrating a receiver to which TDC is applied according to an embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 2 , a receiver 200 according to an embodiment includes an antenna 210 , a clock generator 220 , a pulse generator 230 , an oscillator 240 , and a Time-to-Digital Converter (TDC). ) (250). The measurement unit 140 of FIG. 1 may correspond to the TDC 250 . In this case, the receiver 200 receives the radio signal V _RF based on the oscillation time of the oscillation signal V _OSC measured through the TDC 250 . can do.

A wireless signal V _RF may be input to the antenna 210 according to an embodiment. For example, the radio signal V _RF is a signal modulated by OOK, and may have “1” or “0”.

The clock generator 220 according to an embodiment may generate a clock signal and provide it to the pulse generator 230 . The pulse generator 230 may generate a pulse V _PULSE at a predetermined period based on the received clock signal. The pulse V _PULSE may enable (ie, power ON) the oscillator 240 and the TDC 250 .

The oscillator 240 according to an embodiment may be an LC-oscillator driven by a pulse V _PULSE to generate an oscillation signal V _OSC based on the radio signal V _RF . The oscillator 240 may generate an oscillation signal V _OSC oscillating for different times according to the radio signal V _RF . For example, when the radio signal V _RF input to the antenna 210 is “1”, the oscillator 240 generates an oscillation signal V _OSC that oscillates for a longer time than when the radio signal V _RF is “0”. can do. Conversely, when the radio signal V _RF input to the antenna 210 is “0”, the oscillator 240 may generate an oscillation signal V _OSC oscillating for a shorter time than when the radio signal V _RF is “1”. .

The TDC 250 according to an exemplary embodiment may measure the oscillation time of the oscillation signal V _OSC and output the measurement result to N _OUT . The TDC 250 may generate an output N _OUT that is proportional to the time at which the oscillation signal V _OSC oscillates. For example, the TDC 250 may generate an output N _OUT using an oscillation start time of the oscillation signal V _OSC . The TDC 250 may generate an output N _OUT by recognizing that the oscillation signal V _OSC oscillates when the amplitude of the oscillation signal V _OSC exceeds a predetermined threshold amplitude.

The receiver 200 according to an embodiment may receive the radio signal V _RF based on the output N _OUT of the TDC 250 . For example, when the output N _OUT of the TDC 250 is greater than a predetermined threshold number, the receiver 200 may receive the radio signal V _RF as “1”. Alternatively, when the output N _OUT of the TDC 250 is less than or equal to the predetermined threshold number, the receiver 200 may receive the radio signal V _RF as “0”.

3 to 6 are diagrams illustrating a process of receiving a radio signal in a receiver to which TDC is applied according to an embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 3 , a radio signal V _RF , a pulse V _PULSE , and a received signal V _OUT according to an exemplary embodiment are illustrated.

The radio signal V _RF according to an embodiment is a signal modulated by OOK, and may have “1” or “0”. The OOK modulation period of the radio signal V _RF may be 1/f _S. The pulse V _PULSE according to an embodiment may be generated with a period equal to or smaller than 1/2 times of the OOK modulation period 1/f _S of the radio signal V _RF .

According to an exemplary embodiment, the reception signal V _OUT may have a value at which the radio signal V _RF is received during a period in which the pulse V _PULSE is provided. In FIG. 3 illustrated by way of example, as the radio signal V _RF has “1” at the time points when the first, second, fifth, and sixth pulses are provided, the received signal V _OUT may also have “1”, and , as the radio signal V _RF has “0” at the point in time when the third and fourth pulses are provided, the received signal V _OUT may also have “0”.

As such, the receiver may operate based on the pulse V _PULSE , and by measuring the oscillation time of the oscillation signal using the TDC, it is possible to accurately receive the radio signal V _RF even in a short pulse period.

Referring to FIG. 4 , a case in which a radio signal V _RF has “1” is illustrated according to an embodiment. In this case, the pulse V _PULSE may be high during T _PULSE .

According to an embodiment, when the radio signal V _RF has “1” in a section in which the pulse V _PULSE is provided, the oscillation signal V _OSC may be rapidly generated in the oscillator. In other words, the oscillation signal V _OSC may oscillate from a point in time close to the rising edge of the pulse V _PULSE . As the oscillation signal V _OSC oscillates rapidly, a period in which the amplitude of the oscillation signal V _OSC increases by a predetermined size or more may also be lengthened.

The TDC may measure a time length of a section in which the amplitude of the oscillation signal V _OSC is greater than a predetermined size. In other words, the output N _OUT of the TDC may be proportional to the oscillation time t ₁ of the oscillation signal V _OSC . When the oscillation time t ₁ of the oscillation signal V _OSC is longer than a predetermined threshold time, the receiver may receive the radio signal V _RF as “1”. Here, the predetermined threshold time corresponds to the predetermined threshold number N _REF , and when the output N _OUT of the TDC is greater than the predetermined threshold number N _REF , the oscillation time t ₁ of the oscillation signal V _OSC is longer than the predetermined threshold time. can be judged.

At this time, as the frequency f _RF of the radio signal V _RF and the oscillation frequency f _OSC of the oscillation signal V _OSC are similar to each other, the effect transmitted from the _radio signal V _RF to the oscillation signal V _OSC increases, and the In response, the oscillation signal V _OSC can oscillate rapidly. Conversely, if the frequency f _RF of the radio signal V _RF and the oscillation frequency f _OSC of the oscillation signal V _OSC are not similar to each other, the influence of the _radio signal V _RF transmitted to the oscillation signal V _OSC is small, and the In response, the oscillating signal V _OSC may not oscillate quickly. Based on this principle, by making the frequency f _RF of the radio signal V _RF and the oscillation frequency f _OSC of the oscillation signal V _OSC similar to each other, the difference in the oscillation time of the oscillation signal V _OSC in the presence or absence of the radio signal V _RF can be increased. The presence or absence of the radio signal V _RF may be detected with high accuracy based on the oscillation time of the oscillation signal V _OSC .

Referring to FIG. 5 , a case in which a radio signal V _RF has “0” is illustrated according to an embodiment.

According to an exemplary embodiment, when the radio signal V _RF has “0” at a time point when the pulse V _PULSE is provided, the oscillator may generate the oscillation signal V _OSC slowly. In other words, the oscillation signal V _OSC may oscillate from a point far away from the rising edge of the pulse V _PULSE . As the oscillation signal V _OSC oscillates slowly, a period in which the amplitude of the oscillation signal V _OSC increases by a predetermined size or more may also be shortened.

Since the TDC continuously generates an output for a period in which the amplitude of the oscillation signal V _OSC is greater than a predetermined size, the oscillation time t ₀ of the oscillation signal V _OSC can be known through the output N _OUT of the TDC. When the oscillation time t ₀ of the oscillation signal V _OSC is shorter than the predetermined threshold time, the receiver may receive the radio signal V _RF as “0”. Here, the predetermined threshold time corresponds to the predetermined threshold number N _REF , and when the output N _OUT of the TDC is less than or equal to the predetermined threshold number N _REF , the oscillation time t ₀ of the oscillation signal V _OSC is greater than the predetermined threshold time can be considered short. The oscillation time t ₀ of the oscillation signal V _OSC shown in FIG. 5 may be shorter than the oscillation time t ₁ of the oscillation signal V _OSC shown in FIG. 4 .

Referring to FIG. 6 , a process in which a wireless signal is received based on TDC according to an embodiment is illustrated.

In step 610, the radio signal V _RF according to an embodiment may have “1”, “0”, “1”, and “0”. The OOK modulation period of the radio signal _{V RF} may be TS.

In operation 620 , a pulse V _PULSE may be generated from a pulse generator at a predetermined period according to an embodiment. For example, the pulse V _PULSE may be generated with a period equal to or smaller than 1/2 times the OOK modulation period T _S of the radio signal V _RF . The receiver may be powered on in a section in which the pulse V _PULSE is generated, and the receiver may be powered off in a section in which the pulse V _PULSE is not generated. The period in which the pulse V _PULSE is generated may be continued for T _PULSE .

In step 630 , the oscillator driven by the pulse V _PULSE according to an embodiment may generate the oscillation signal V _OSC based on the radio signal V _RF . For example, the oscillation signal V OSC generated in the section in which the radio signal V _RF has “1” may _{oscillate for a longer time than the oscillation signal V OSC generated} in the section in which the radio signal V _RF has “0”.

In operation 640 , the TDC driven by the pulse V _PULSE according to an embodiment may generate an output N _OUT in proportion to a time at which the oscillation signal V _OSC oscillates. For example, as the oscillation signal V _OSC generated in a section in which the radio signal V _RF has “1” oscillates longer than a predetermined threshold time, the output N _OUT of the TDC becomes more than the predetermined threshold number N _REF , and the receiver A radio signal V _RF can be received as “1”. Alternatively, the oscillation signal V _OSC generated in a section in which the radio signal V _RF has “0” oscillates shorter than a predetermined threshold time, the output N _OUT of the TDC is also less than the predetermined threshold number N _REF , and the receiver receives the radio signal V _RF can be received as “0”.

The output N _OUT of the TDC can be maintained until it is reset by the reset signal. A reset signal may be provided to TDC before the next pulse V _PULSE is generated to reset the output N _OUT .

According to an embodiment, the threshold number N _REF may be predetermined or dynamically changed. For example, when the output N _OUT of the TDC is “10, 5, 10, 5” when a predetermined radio signal “1, 0, 1, 0” is input to dynamically change the threshold number N _REF , the threshold The number N _REF may be set to 7.5.

7 is a diagram illustrating a circuit diagram of a receiver to which TDC is applied according to an embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 7 , a receiver 700 according to an embodiment may include a controller 710 , a reception main block 720 , and an antenna 730 . The receiver 700 according to an embodiment may be an RF transceiver.

The controller 710 according to an embodiment may generate a pulse V _PULSE and provide it to the reception main block 720 . For example, the RC-oscillator may be a clock generator that generates a clock signal, and may provide the generated clock signal V _RC to the pulse generator. The pulse generator may generate a pulse V _PULSE based on the clock signal V _RC and provide it to an oscillator, an RF amplifier, and a TDC in the reception main block 720 . In this case, the pulse V _PULSE may be generated with a period determined by the frequency divider, and the width of the pulse V _PULSE may be determined by the pulse generator.

The fast startup is a circuit that allows the oscillator to generate the oscillation signal V _OSC quickly, thereby reducing the width of the pulse V _PULSE , which will be described later with reference to FIGS. 12 and 13 .

The oscillator in the reception main block 720 according to an embodiment may be driven by a pulse V _PULSE to generate an oscillation signal V _OSC based on a radio signal input to the antenna 730 . The oscillating signal V _OSC may be amplified by an RF amplifier. The RF amplifier may be driven by the pulse V _PULSE . Although two RF amplifiers are illustrated in FIG. 7 for convenience of description, the reception main block 720 may include one or more RF amplifiers without limitation.

The TDC may be driven by the pulse V _PULSE to output N _OUT proportional to the oscillation time of the amplified oscillation signal V _OSC2 . The TDC may reset the output N _OUT by receiving a reset signal V _RST from a reset controller before the next pulse V _PULSE is provided.

A synchronizer may synchronize the clock signal V _SAM and the output N _OUT of the TDC in phase. In addition, the synchronized signal V _S may be compared with a predetermined threshold voltage V _REF by a comparator to output the received signal V _OUT . Here, the predetermined threshold voltage V _REF may correspond to the predetermined threshold number N _REF described above.

8 is a diagram illustrating a process in which the receiver of FIG. 7 receives a radio signal according to an embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 8 , outputs N _OUT of a radio signal V _RF , a pulse V _PULSE , an oscillation signal V _OSC , an amplified oscillation signal V _OSC1 , V _OSC2 , and TDC according to an embodiment are illustrated. 8 exemplarily shows a case in which the radio signal V _RF is “1” when the pulse V _PULSE is generated.

In a section in which the pulse V _PULSE is provided to the reception main block 720 of FIG. 7 , the receiver may operate to receive the radio signal V _RF . On the other hand, in a section in which the pulse V _PULSE is not provided, the receiver may not operate and the received signal may be maintained. Pulse V _PULSE may be provided during T _PULSE , and T _PULSE may be longer than the startup time T _SET . The startup time T _SET will be described later with reference to FIG. 9 .

The oscillation signal V _OSC according to an embodiment may be generated based on the radio signal V _RF in the oscillator driven by the pulse V _PULSE . For example, when the amplitude of the oscillation signal V _OSC is very small, it may be difficult to generate a valid output from the TDC. Accordingly, it may be necessary to amplify the oscillating signal V _OSC via one or more RF amplifiers. In FIG. 8 , V _OSC1 and V _OSC2 may represent an amplified oscillation signal.

The TDC may output N _OUT proportional to the oscillation time t ₁ based on the final amplified oscillation signal V _OSC2 . For example, the TDC may output N _OUT proportional to the oscillation time t ₁ by generating an output when the amplitude of the final amplified oscillation signal V _OSC2 is greater than a predetermined threshold amplitude. The output N _OUT of the TDC can be held until a reset signal is provided.

9 is a diagram for explaining a process of generating an output of a TDC based on a wireless signal according to an embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 9 , a start-up time T _SET and a TDC driving time T _SS according to an embodiment are illustrated.

The receiver according to an embodiment may operate with pulse-based carrier sensing (IBCS) in which power is turned on during a period in which pulse V _PULSE is generated and is powered off during a period in which pulse V _PULSE is not generated. .

The width T _PULSE of the pulse V _PULSE can be divided into a startup time T _SET and a TDC driving time T _SS . The startup time T _SET may be a period in which an output is not generated in the TDC because the amplitude of the oscillation signal is not greater than a predetermined threshold amplitude. The driving time T _SS may be a period in which the output is generated in the TDC because the amplitude of the oscillation signal is greater than a predetermined threshold amplitude. In other words, the width T _PULSE of the pulse V _PULSE may be expressed as follows.

In Equation 1 above, T _OSC represents the oscillation period of the oscillator, and f _OSC represents the oscillation frequency of the oscillator. Here, f _OSC may be referred to as a carrier frequency as a high frequency.

In Equation 1, as T _SET is decreased or the oscillation frequency f _OSC is increased, the width T _PULSE of the pulse V _PULSE may be effectively reduced, and thus power consumption of the receiver may also be reduced.

According to an embodiment, T ₁ shown in FIG. 9 represents a time measured at TDC when the radio signal V _RF is “1”, and T ₀ is the time measured at TDC when the radio signal V _RF is “0”. can indicate time.

In FIG. 9, for convenience of explanation, the case where the radio signal V _RF is modulated by OOK is described as a reference, but when the radio signal V _RF is modulated by ASK, the output N _OUT of the TDC is proportional to the amplitude of the radio signal V _RF By making the oscillation signal output from the TDC, the radio signal V _RF can be received without limitation. Also, when the radio signal V _RF is modulated by FSK, the closer the oscillation frequency of the oscillation signal to the frequency of the radio signal V _RF , the more output N of the TDC By allowing _OUT to be output from TDC, the radio signal V _RF can be received without limitation.

10 is a diagram for explaining an output of a TDC that is not affected by jitter of a clock generator according to an embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 10 , a radio signal V _RF , a clock signal V _RC generated by a clock generator, and a pulse V _PULSE generated by a pulse generator are illustrated according to an exemplary embodiment.

만큼 발생할 수 있다.According to an embodiment, jitter may be present in the clock signal V _RC generated by the clock generator. The jitter may mean that the cycle of the clock generator generating the clock signal V _RC is changed. The oscillator according to an embodiment may generate a pulse V _PULSE at a rising edge of the clock signal V _RC , and a pulse position fluctuation may occur according to jitter appearing at the rising edge.

can occur as much as

Pulse position change may cause position change in output N _OUT of TDC. Also, the timing at which the output of the TDC is reset by the reset signal V _RST may be changed. However, as described above, since the receiver receives the radio signal V _RF based on the output N _OUT of the TDC, it is not affected by the jitter of the clock generator. In other words, the output N _OUT of the TDC is proportional to the oscillation frequency of the oscillation signal and the width of the pulse V _PULSE and is not affected by the jitter of the clock generator. The receiver can receive the radio signal V _RF robust to the jitter of the internal clock generator.

11 is a diagram illustrating a change in output of TDC according to a width of a pulse according to an exemplary embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 11 , outputs N _OUT and reset signal V _RST of pulses V _PULSE and TDC according to an embodiment are shown.

According to an embodiment, if the width of the pulse V _PULSE is reduced to reduce power consumption of the receiver, the output N _OUT of the TDC is also reduced. However, the width of the pulse V _PULSE cannot be reduced indefinitely, and the width of the pulse V _PULSE must be maintained so that the effective output N _{OUT _effective} of the TDC capable of receiving a wireless signal can be output from the TDC.

The minimum pulse width W _min and the minimum duty cycle D _min according to an embodiment may be determined as follows. The minimum duty cycle D _min may represent a ratio of a period in which the pulse V _PULSE is high in one period.

In Equation 2 above, f _RC represents the frequency of the clock generator. Referring to Equation 2 above, it can be seen that the minimum pulse width W _min is proportional to the start-up time T _SET of the oscillator.

In addition, the average power consumption P _AVE of the receiver according to an embodiment may be determined as follows.

In Equation 3 above, P _RX represents the power consumption of the receiver, and T _RC represents the cycle of the clock generator. Referring to Equation 3 above, it can be seen that the average power consumption P _AVE of the receiver is proportional to the start-up time T _SET of the oscillator. Therefore, in order to minimize the power consumption of the receiver, it is necessary to minimize the startup time T _SET . A quick startup method capable of minimizing the startup time T _SET will be described later with reference to FIGS. 12 and 13 .

12 and 13 are diagrams for explaining fast startup of a receiver according to an embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 12 , an additional current I _{QWG _A} for fast start-up and a control voltage V _{PUL _C} for a capacitor mismatch are illustrated according to an embodiment. Referring to FIG. 13 , a fast startup according to an embodiment A partial circuit diagram for start-up is shown.

According to an embodiment, the startup time T _SET is an oscillation preparation period for generating the oscillation signal V _OSC , and no output is generated from the TDC during the preparation period. However, since the receiver is powered on and operates even in this preparation period, power consumption is generated. Therefore, the power consumption of the receiver can be minimized by minimizing the startup time T _SET , and there are three methods below for fast startup that minimizes the startup time T _SET .

The first quick start-up approach is to control the current I _QWG supplied to the oscillator. Basically, the base current I _{QWG _O} provided to the oscillator may be _constant from the start time ta corresponding to the rising edge of the pulse V _PULSE to the end time t _c corresponding to the falling edge. In this case, an additional current I _{QWG _A} for fast start-up can additionally be provided to the oscillator. The additional current I _{QWG _A} may be additionally provided to the oscillator from the start time ta to the predetermined time _{t b .}

Due to the base current I _{QWG _O} and the additional current I _{QWG _A} , the current I _QWG supplied to the oscillator is greater in the interval from the start time ta to the predetermined time _{t b than} in the interval from the predetermined time t _b to the end t _c . could be bigger By controlling the current I _QWG in this way, the startup time T _SET can be minimized.

A second fast startup method is to control a plurality of capacitors applied to the oscillator. As shown in FIG. 13 , the oscillator according to an embodiment is an LC-oscillator, and two capacitors C ₁ and C ₂ may be applied. The two capacitors C ₁ and C ₂ may be connected in series to each other and controlled by the control voltage V _{PUL _C} , and may be expressed by the following equation.

According to an embodiment, as the total values of the two capacitors are constant, the oscillation frequency of the oscillator may be constant. Also, by controlling the value of k through the control voltage V _{PUL _C} , whether the two capacitors C ₁ and C ₂ match may be controlled.

By controlling the control voltage V _{PUL _C} according to an embodiment, k from the start time ta to the predetermined time t _b has a value other than ₁ (eg, k = 1.8 to 2.0), so that two capacitors during the corresponding period. They can be controlled to mismatch each other. Also, by controlling the control voltage V _{PUL _C} , k from a predetermined time point t _b to an end time point t _c has 1, so that two capacitors can be controlled to match each other during a corresponding period. In other words, by making the two capacitors asymmetric from the starting time ta to a predetermined time t _b and _{symmetric from the predetermined time t b to the ending time t c , the} startup time T _SET can be minimized.

The third and final fast startup method is a method of allowing an inductor applied to an oscillator to have a Q-value greater than a predetermined threshold. The oscillator according to an embodiment is an LC-oscillator, and the antenna 1310 may be applied as an inductor.

The startup time T _SET according to an embodiment may be expressed as follows.

In Equation 5 above, g _m represents the transconductance of the core transistor of the oscillator, w ₀ represents the oscillation frequency of the oscillator, and R _T represents the output resistance of the oscillator. Here, R _T may be proportional to the square of the Q value. Accordingly, as the inductor applied to the oscillator has a large Q value, the startup time T _SET may be reduced.

In FIG. 12 according to an embodiment, the predetermined time point t _b is illustrated as representing a boundary time point between the startup time T _SET and the TDC driving time T _SS , but this is for convenience of explanation and the predetermined time point t _b starts An arbitrary time point located between the time point ta and the end time point t _c (eg, a time point at which the interval from the start time point ta _a to the end time point t _c is divided in half ₎ may be indicated.

14 is a diagram illustrating a circuit diagram of a receiver to which a pulse width controller is applied according to an embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 14 , a receiver 1400 according to an embodiment may include a controller 1410 , a reception main block 1420 , and an antenna 1430 . The receiver 1400 according to an embodiment may be an RF transceiver.

The controller 1410 according to an embodiment may generate a pulse V _PULSE and provide it to the reception main block 1420 . For example, the controller 1410 may include a low-power RC-oscillator having different oscillation frequencies and a main RC-oscillator as a clock generator. The low-power RC-oscillator is a clock generator that generates a clock signal at a lower frequency than that of the main RC-oscillator. When the low-power RC-oscillator is used, the pulse generator generates a pulse V _PULSE with a long period, so when the main RC-oscillator is used Power consumption of the receiver 1400 may be lower than that of the receiver 1400 . For example, the clock signal V _RC1 shown in FIG. 14 may represent a signal generated by the low-power RC-oscillator, and the clock signal V _RC2 may represent a signal generated by the main RC-oscillator.

The controller 1410 may select one of the low-power RC-oscillator and the main RC-oscillator based on the frequency of the radio signal input to the antenna 1430 . Among the low-power RC-oscillator and the main RC-oscillator, any one oscillator capable of generating a clock signal at a frequency of at least twice the frequency of the radio signal may be selected. If both the low-power RC-oscillator and the main RC-oscillator have a frequency equal to or greater than twice the frequency of the radio signal, the low-power RC-oscillator may be selected to further reduce power consumption of the receiver 1400 .

The current supply according to an embodiment may provide a current I _QWG to an oscillator, and may include QWG and A-QWG of FIG. 13 . In addition, the fast startup may generate a control voltage V _{PUL _C} for capacitor mismatch, and may correspond to the phase splitter of FIG. 13 . In addition, the CAP Bank indicates a plurality of capacitors applied to the oscillator, and may correspond to C ₁ /C ₂ of FIG. 13 .

The pulse width controller according to an embodiment may control the width of the pulse V _PULSE generated by the oscillator. The pulse width controller may control the width of the pulse V _PULSE based on the output N _OUT of the TDC. As the width of the pulse V _PULSE increases, the operating time of the receiver 1400 increases, and thus the power consumed by the receiver 1400 also increases. Accordingly, power consumption of the receiver 1400 can be minimized by narrowing the width of the pulse V _PULSE as much as possible. However, if the width of the pulse V _PULSE is narrowly narrowed, an effective output may not be generated in the TDC. Therefore, the pulse width controller needs to minimize the width of the pulse V _PULSE within the range in which the effective output is generated in the TDC.

For example, a predetermined radio signal (eg, “1, 0, 1, 0”, etc.) may be input to the antenna 1430 for pulse width adjustment. In this case, in consideration of the output N _OUT of the TDC, the pulse width controller may minimize the width of the pulse V _PULSE within a range capable of effectively receiving a predetermined wireless signal.

Since the above-described items with reference to FIGS. 1 to 13 may be applied to each of the elements shown in FIG. 14 , a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

15 is a diagram for explaining power consumption of a receiver according to an embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 15 , cases in which a data rate and a pulse width affecting power consumption of a receiver are controlled according to an embodiment are illustrated.

According to one embodiment, the data rate may affect the power consumption of the receiver. A first case 1510 and a second case 1520 illustrated in FIG. 15 illustrate examples of receiving radio signals having different data rates. Since the period of the pulse should be less than or equal to 1/2 times the OOK modulation period of the radio signal, the receiver should be powered on more frequently in the first case 1510 than in the second case 1520 to operate. Accordingly, power consumption of the receiver in the second case 1520 is smaller than that in the first case 1510 . In other words, the lower the data rate of the radio signal, the lower the power consumption of the receiver.

Also, according to an embodiment, the width of the pulse may affect power consumption of the receiver. The third case 1530 and the fourth case 1540 illustrated in FIG. 15 show examples of different pulse widths. Since the receiver operates by being powered on during the period in which the pulse is high, power consumption of the receiver increases in proportion to the width of the pulse. Accordingly, the fourth case 1540 has less power consumption of the receiver than the third case 1530 . In other words, as the pulse width becomes narrower, power consumption of the receiver may be reduced.

16 and 17 are diagrams for explaining a receiver to which ED is applied according to an embodiment.

16, the receiver 1600 according to an embodiment includes an antenna 1610, a clock generator 1620, a pulse generator 1630, an oscillator 1640, an ED (Envelope Detector) 1650, an RF amplifier ( 1660) and an Analog-to-Digital Converter (ADC) 1670 . The measurement unit 140 of FIG. 1 may correspond to the ED 1650 , and in this case, the receiver 1600 receives the radio signal V _RF based on the envelope V _ED of the oscillation signal V _OSC detected through the ED 1650 . can receive

A wireless signal V _RF may be input to the antenna 1610 according to an embodiment. The clock generator 1620 may generate a clock signal and provide it to the pulse generator 1630 . The pulse generator 1630 may generate a pulse V _PULSE at a predetermined period based on the received clock signal. Oscillator 1640 may be an LC-oscillator driven by a pulse V _PULSE to generate an oscillating signal V _OSC based on the radio signal V _RF .

1 to 15 may be applied to the antenna 1610 , the clock generator 1620 , the pulse generator 1630 , and the oscillator 1640 , so a more detailed description will be omitted.

The ED 1650 according to an embodiment may detect an envelope V _ED of the oscillation signal V _OSC . The detected envelope V _ED may be amplified through the RF amplifier 1660 . The amplified envelope in FIG. 16 may be shown as V _ED1 . In FIG. 16 , one RF amplifier is illustrated for convenience of description, but one or more RF amplifiers may be applied without limitation.

The ADC 1670 according to an embodiment may change the analog envelope V _ED into a digital signal. By comparing the modified digital signal to a predetermined threshold at the ADC 1670, a radio signal V _RF can be received. If the digital signal is greater than a predetermined threshold, the corresponding radio signal V _RF may be received as "1", and conversely, if the digital signal is smaller than the predetermined threshold, the corresponding radio signal V _RF may be received as "0". there is. 16 , the received signal may be output as V _OUT .

Referring to FIG. 17 , a radio signal V _RF , a pulse V _PULSE , an envelope signal V _ED , an amplified envelope signal V _ED1 , and a received signal V _OUT according to an exemplary embodiment are illustrated.

The pulse V _PULSE may be generated at a frequency of at least twice the radio signal V _RF frequency. An oscillation signal is generated in the oscillator when the pulse V _PULSE is high, and an envelope signal V _ED for the oscillation signal may be detected. The envelope signal V _ED may be amplified through the RF amplifier, and the amplitude of the amplified envelope signal V _ED1 may be compared with a predetermined threshold amplitude to output the received signal V _OUT .

18 is a diagram illustrating a receiving method according to an embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 18 , a receiving method performed by a receiver is illustrated.

In step 1810, the receiver generates a pulse with a predetermined period and pulse width. Here, the predetermined period may be 1/2 or less of the OOK modulation period of the radio signal input to the antenna.

In step 1820, the receiver generates an oscillation signal based on the radio signal input to the antenna while the pulse is generated. For example, when the radio signal input to the antenna is “1” while being generated in the pulse, the receiver may start oscillating faster than when the radio signal is “0” and oscillate for a long time.

In step 1830, the receiver measures the oscillation degree of the oscillation signal while the pulse is generated. For example, when TDC is applied to the receiver, the receiver may generate an output of the TDC that is proportional to the oscillation time of the oscillation signal. Alternatively, when ED is applied to the receiver, the receiver may detect the envelope of the oscillation signal.

A wireless signal according to an embodiment may be received based on the measured oscillation degree. For example, a wireless signal may be received based on whether an output of the generated TDC exceeds a predetermined threshold. Alternatively, the wireless signal may be received based on whether the amplitude of the detected envelope exceeds a predetermined threshold.

Through the above-described reception method, a receiver having low power consumption, no latency, and good reception sensitivity can be provided. In addition, power consumption of the receiver can be minimized by minimizing an active period according to a very short pulse and mostly turning off the receiver. In addition, the receiver is powered on with a period less than 1/2 times the OOK modulation period of the radio signal, so that the average power consumption can be minimized by operating in the minimum active period without delay in response.

The steps described above with reference to FIGS. 1 to 17 are applied to each of the steps shown in FIG. 18 , and thus a more detailed description will be omitted.

19 is a diagram illustrating a method of controlling a width of a pulse generated by a pulse generator according to an exemplary embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 19 , a process of controlling a pulse width performed by a receiver according to an embodiment is illustrated.

In operation 1910, the receiver may determine whether the measured oscillation degree exceeds a predetermined threshold. For example, when TDC is applied to the receiver, the receiver may determine whether the output of the generated TDC exceeds a predetermined threshold. Alternatively, the receiver may determine whether the amplitude of the detected envelope exceeds a predetermined threshold.

When the measured oscillation degree exceeds a predetermined threshold, the receiver may decrease the width of the pulse output from the pulse generator in operation 1920 . For example, the receiver may decrease the width of the pulse by a predetermined magnitude or ratio.

Conversely, when the measured oscillation degree does not exceed the predetermined threshold, the receiver may increase the width of the pulse output from the pulse generator in step 1930 . For example, the receiver may increase the width of the pulse by a predetermined magnitude or ratio.

If the pulse width is controlled in either step 1920 or step 1930, step 1810 may be performed.

The steps described above with reference to FIGS. 1 to 18 are applied to each of the steps shown in FIG. 19 , and thus a more detailed description will be omitted.

The embodiments described above may be implemented by a hardware component, a software component, and/or a combination of the hardware component and the software component. For example, the apparatus, methods, and components described in the embodiments may include, for example, a processor, a controller, an arithmetic logic unit (ALU), a digital signal processor, a microcomputer, a field programmable gate (FPGA) array), a programmable logic unit (PLU), a microprocessor, or any other device capable of executing and responding to instructions, may be implemented using one or more general purpose or special purpose computers. The processing device may execute an operating system (OS) and one or more software applications running on the operating system. A processing device may also access, store, manipulate, process, and generate data in response to execution of the software. For convenience of understanding, although one processing device is sometimes described as being used, one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the processing device includes a plurality of processing elements and/or a plurality of types of processing elements. It can be seen that can include For example, the processing device may include a plurality of processors or one processor and one controller. Other processing configurations are also possible, such as parallel processors.

Software may comprise a computer program, code, instructions, or a combination of one or more thereof, which configures a processing device to operate as desired or is independently or collectively processed You can command the device. The software and/or data may be any kind of machine, component, physical device, virtual equipment, computer storage medium or apparatus, to be interpreted by or to provide instructions or data to the processing device. , or may be permanently or temporarily embody in a transmitted signal wave. The software may be distributed over networked computer systems and stored or executed in a distributed manner. Software and data may be stored in one or more computer-readable recording media.

The method according to the embodiment may be implemented in the form of program instructions that can be executed through various computer means and recorded in a computer-readable medium. The computer-readable medium may include program instructions, data files, data structures, etc. alone or in combination. The program instructions recorded on the medium may be specially designed and configured for the embodiment, or may be known and available to those skilled in the art of computer software. Examples of the computer-readable recording medium include magnetic media such as hard disks, floppy disks and magnetic tapes, optical media such as CD-ROMs and DVDs, and magnetic such as floppy disks. - includes magneto-optical media, and hardware devices specially configured to store and execute program instructions, such as ROM, RAM, flash memory, and the like. Examples of program instructions include not only machine language codes such as those generated by a compiler, but also high-level language codes that can be executed by a computer using an interpreter or the like. The hardware devices described above may be configured to operate as one or more software modules to perform the operations of the embodiments, and vice versa.

As described above, although the embodiments have been described with reference to the limited drawings, those skilled in the art may apply various technical modifications and variations based on the above. For example, the described techniques are performed in an order different from the described method, and/or the described components of the system, structure, apparatus, circuit, etc. are combined or combined in a different form than the described method, or other components Or substituted or substituted by equivalents may achieve an appropriate result.

Claims (20)

An antenna to which a radio signal is input;
a pulse generator for generating pulses;
an oscillator driven by the pulse and configured to generate an oscillation signal based on the radio signal; and
A measurement unit driven by the pulse and measuring the oscillation degree of the oscillation signal
including,
The radio signal is received based on the oscillation degree of the oscillation signal,
The current supplied to the oscillator from the start of the pulse to a predetermined time is
greater than the current provided to the oscillator from the predetermined time point to the end point of the pulse. According to claim 1,
the radio signal
The receiver, which is received based on the oscillation time of the oscillation signal measured by the measuring unit. 3. The method of claim 2,
The measuring unit generates an output proportional to the oscillation time of the oscillation signal,
and the wireless signal is received based on whether the generated output exceeds a predetermined threshold. 3. The method of claim 2,
the radio signal
When the oscillation time of the oscillation signal is longer than a predetermined threshold time, it is received as a first value,
and a second value different from the first value is received when the oscillation time of the oscillation signal is shorter than a predetermined threshold time. 3. The method of claim 2,
A receiver, wherein the amplitude or frequency of the radio signal input to the antenna is received based on the time at which the oscillation signal oscillates. delete According to claim 1,
A plurality of capacitors applied to the oscillator are
A receiver that mismatches each other from the start time of the pulse to a predetermined time point, and matches each other from the predetermined time point to an end time of the pulse. According to claim 1,
An inductor applied to the oscillator has a Q-value greater than a predetermined threshold. According to claim 1,
The width of the pulse is
The receiver is adjusted based on the output generated in proportion to the oscillation time of the oscillation signal in the measuring unit. According to claim 1,
An output generated according to an oscillation time of the oscillation signal in the measuring unit is proportional to an oscillation frequency of the oscillation signal and a width of the pulse. According to claim 1,
The pulse generator
and generating the pulse with a period less than 1/2 times the OOK modulation period of the radio signal. According to claim 1,
the radio signal
The receiver is received based on the envelope (envelope) of the oscillation signal measured by the measuring unit. 13. The method of claim 12,
The measuring unit detects an envelope of the oscillation signal,
and the wireless signal is received based on whether an amplitude of the detected envelope exceeds a predetermined threshold. According to claim 1,
The oscillator and the measuring unit operate during a period in which a pulse is received from the pulse generator, the receiver. According to claim 1,
The power consumption of the receiver is
the receiver being determined based on a data rate of the wireless signal and a width of the pulse. According to claim 1,
RF amplifier driven by the pulse, amplifying the oscillation signal and transmitting it to the measuring unit
Further comprising, the receiver. generating a pulse at a predetermined period;
generating an oscillation signal based on a radio signal input to an antenna while the pulse is generated; and
Measuring the oscillation degree of the oscillation signal while the pulse is generated
including,
The radio signal is received based on the oscillation degree of the oscillation signal,
The current supplied to the oscillator from the start of the pulse to the predetermined time is
greater than the current provided to the oscillator from the predetermined time point to the end point of the pulse. 18. The method of claim 17,
The measuring step is
generating an output proportional to the time the oscillation signal oscillates,
and the wireless signal is received based on whether the generated output exceeds a predetermined threshold. 18. The method of claim 17,
The measuring step is
detecting an envelope of the oscillation signal,
and the wireless signal is received based on whether an amplitude of the detected envelope exceeds a predetermined threshold. A computer-readable storage medium in which a program for executing the method of any one of claims 17 to 19 is recorded.

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