KR20210024416A - Apparatus and method for up converting signals in wireless communication system - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a 5th generation (5G) or pre-5G communication system for supporting a higher data transmission rate than a 4thgeneration (4G) communication system such as long-term evolution (LTE). According to the present invention, an operation method of an apparatus for upconverting in a wireless communication system includes the following procedures of: receiving a first local oscillator (LO) signal; generating a second LO signal based on a latch cross-linked with the first LO signal; receiving an input signal; generating an upconverting frequency based on the second LO signal and the input signal; generating an output signal processing a harmonic component included in the upconverting frequency; and transmitting the generated output signal.

Description

Device and method for up-converting signals in a wireless communication system {APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR UP CONVERTING SIGNALS IN WIRELESS COMMUNICATION SYSTEM}

The present disclosure generally relates to a wireless communication system, and more particularly, to an apparatus and method for up-converting a signal in a wireless communication system.

Efforts are being made to develop an improved 5G (5th generation) communication system or a pre-5G communication system in order to meet the increasing demand for wireless data traffic after the commercialization of 4G (4th generation) communication systems. For this reason, the 5G communication system or the pre-5G communication system is called a beyond 4G network communication system or a long term evolution (LTE) system (Post LTE) system.

In order to achieve a high data rate, 5G communication systems are being considered for implementation in an ultra-high frequency (mmWave) band (eg, such as a 60 gigabyte (60 GHz) band). In order to mitigate the path loss of radio waves in the ultra-high frequency band and increase the transmission distance of radio waves, 5G communication systems include beamforming, massive MIMO, and full dimensional MIMO (FD-MIMO). ), array antenna, analog beam-forming, and large scale antenna technologies are being discussed.

In addition, in order to improve the network of the system, in 5G communication system, advanced small cell, advanced small cell, cloud radio access network (cloud RAN), ultra-dense network , Device to device communication (D2D), wireless backhaul, moving network, cooperative communication, coordinated multi-points (CoMP), and interference cancellation And other technologies are being developed. In addition, in the 5G system, hybrid frequency shift keying and quadrature amplitude modulation (FQAM) and sliding window superposition coding (SWSC), which are advanced coding modulation (ACM) schemes, and filter bank multi-carrier (FBMC), an advanced access technology. ), non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA), and sparse code multiple access (SCMA) have been developed.

The latest 5G wireless communication technology aims to achieve high-speed data transmission and large-capacity transmission through high-quality communication. Research for miniaturization of an antenna for 5G wireless communication and a study for implementing high-speed data transmission of wireless communication using the advantage of a small antenna are being conducted. In addition, up-frequency converters using voltage feedback and complementary derivative superposition technology are being developed to increase frequency when performing 5G wireless communication.

Based on the above discussion, the present disclosure provides an apparatus and method for reducing an error of a phase and a gain occurring in an up-frequency converter in a wireless communication system.

In addition, the present disclosure provides an apparatus and method for improving linearity in up-frequency conversion in a wireless communication system.

In addition, the present disclosure provides an apparatus and method for compactly arranging a circuit implementing up-frequency conversion in a wireless communication system.

According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, a method of operating an apparatus for up-conversion in a wireless communication system is based on a process of receiving a first local oscillator (LO) signal and a latch cross-coupled with the first LO signal. A process of generating a second LO signal, a process of receiving an input signal, a process of generating an up-conversion frequency based on the second LO signal and the input signal, and processing a harmonic component included in the up-conversion frequency It may include a process of generating one output signal and a process of transmitting the generated output signal.

According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, an apparatus for up-conversion in a wireless communication system includes at least one transmission/reception unit and at least one processor functionally coupled to the at least one transmission/reception unit, and the at least one The processor receives a first local oscillator (LO) signal, generates a second LO signal based on a latch cross-coupled with the first LO signal, receives an input signal, and receives the second LO signal and the input Control to generate an up-conversion frequency based on a signal, generate an output signal obtained by processing a harmonic component included in the up-conversion frequency, and transmit the generated output signal.

An apparatus and method according to various embodiments of the present disclosure may reduce an error vector magnitude (EVM) by minimizing an error in a phase and a gain generated in an up-frequency converter.

An apparatus and a method according to various embodiments of the present disclosure may increase linearity through circuit arrangement in an up-frequency converter.

The effects obtainable in the present disclosure are not limited to the effects mentioned above, and other effects not mentioned may be clearly understood by those of ordinary skill in the technical field to which the present disclosure belongs from the following description. will be.

1 is a block diagram of an apparatus for uplink frequency conversion in a wireless communication system according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.
2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a communication unit in a wireless communication system according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.
3 illustrates a configuration of an apparatus for uplink frequency conversion in a wireless communication system according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.
4 is a diagram illustrating a circuit configuring a balun in a wireless communication system according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.
5A is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a local oscillator (LO) driver in a wireless communication system according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.
5B is a diagram illustrating a circuit configuring a local oscillator (LO) driver in a wireless communication system according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.
6 is a diagram illustrating a circuit configuring a current-mode logic latch (CML) in a wireless communication system according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.
7A is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an LO buffer in a wireless communication system according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.
7B is a diagram illustrating a circuit configuring an LO buffer in a wireless communication system according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.
8 is a diagram illustrating a circuit configuring an intermediate frequency (IF) amplifier in a wireless communication system according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.
9 is a diagram illustrating a circuit configuring a mixer in a wireless communication system according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.
10 is a diagram illustrating a circuit of a chain using a mixer transconductance (GM) stage and a negative GM stage (NGM) in a wireless communication system according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.
11 is a graph showing a change in inter modulation according to a frequency in a wireless communication system according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.
12A is a graph of IM3 and OIP3 (3rd order intercept point) according to frequencies when uplink frequency conversion is performed in a wireless communication system according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.
12B is a graph of an image rejection ratio (IRR) according to frequency when uplink frequency conversion is performed in a wireless communication system according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.
13A is a graph illustrating an output signal strength and a gain mismatch value in an I/Q channel according to a frequency when up-frequency conversion is performed in a wireless communication system according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.
13B is a graph illustrating a phase mismatch according to a gain mismatch when uplink frequency conversion is performed in a wireless communication system according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.
14 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of an apparatus for uplink frequency conversion in a wireless communication system according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.
15 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of a signal generator of an apparatus for uplink frequency conversion in a wireless communication system according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.
16 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of a signal converter of an apparatus for uplink frequency conversion in a wireless communication system according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

Terms used in the present disclosure are only used to describe a specific embodiment, and may not be intended to limit the scope of other embodiments. Singular expressions may include plural expressions unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, may have the same meaning as commonly understood by a person of ordinary skill in the technical field described in the present disclosure. Among the terms used in the present disclosure, terms defined in a general dictionary may be interpreted as having the same or similar meanings as those in the context of the related technology, and unless explicitly defined in the present disclosure, an ideal or excessively formal meaning Is not interpreted as. In some cases, even terms defined in the present disclosure cannot be interpreted to exclude embodiments of the present disclosure.

In various embodiments of the present disclosure described below, a hardware approach is described as an example. However, since various embodiments of the present disclosure include technology using both hardware and software, various embodiments of the present disclosure do not exclude a software-based approach.

Hereinafter, the present disclosure relates to an apparatus and method for up-converting a signal in a wireless communication system. Specifically, the present disclosure describes a technique for up-converting a signal in an improved method in a wireless communication system.

In the following description, a term referring to a signal, a term referring to a channel, a term referring to control information, a term referring to network entities, a term referring to a component of a device, etc. are for convenience of description. It is illustrated. Accordingly, the present disclosure is not limited to terms to be described later, and other terms having an equivalent technical meaning may be used.

Metrics for signal gain and signal quality used in the following description are, for example, reference signal received power (RSRP), reference signal received quality (RSRQ), received signal strength indicator (RSSI), signal to interference and noise (SINR). ratio), carrier to interference and noise ratio (CINR), SNR, error vector magnitude (EVM), bit error rate (BER), and block error rate (BLER). In addition to the above-described examples, it is of course possible to use other terms having the same technical meaning or other metrics indicating signal quality.

In addition, in the present disclosure, in order to determine whether a specific condition is satisfied or satisfied, an expression of excess or less may be used, but this is only a description for expressing an example. It is not to be excluded. Conditions described as'above' may be replaced with'greater than', conditions described as'less than' may be replaced with'less than', and conditions described as'above and below' may be replaced with'above and below'.

In addition, although the present disclosure describes various embodiments using terms used in some communication standards (eg, 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP)), this is only an example for description. Various embodiments of the present disclosure may be easily modified and applied to other communication systems.

Hereinafter, the present disclosure proposes an apparatus and method for increasing an image rejection ratio (IRR) occurring between the inconsistencies by reducing phase mismatch and gain mismatch occurring in an up-frequency converter. As the IRR increases, the error vector magnitude (EVM) of the transmitter is improved. In addition, the present disclosure proposes an apparatus and method for achieving high linearity by connecting a cross coupling structure for removing harmonic components to an amplifier of an up-frequency converter.

1 illustrates a block diagram 100 of an apparatus for uplink frequency conversion in a wireless communication system according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. Terms such as'?? unit' and'?? group' used hereinafter refer to units that process at least one function or operation, which may be implemented by hardware or software, or a combination of hardware and software.

Referring to FIG. 1, the apparatus for upstream frequency conversion includes an intermediate frequency (IF) input unit 101, a local oscillator (LO) module 103, a mixer 105, and a driver amplification unit. It includes (107).

The IF input unit 101 performs a function of generating a frequency signal located in the middle of a baseband (BB) and a radio frequency (RF) for wireless transmission/reception, that is, a signal of an IF frequency. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the IF input unit 101 may generate and output an IF signal for input to the mixer 105 by receiving the BB signal and filtering the received BB signal.

The LO module 103 performs the function of an oscillator used locally or limitedly. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the LO module 103 may include a component that performs at least one voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) function for generating a desired frequency value. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the LO module 103 may receive a signal from an external source and generate and output an LO signal for input to the mixer 105.

The mixer 105 performs a function of converting an input frequency. The mixer 105 may perform a function of converting a frequency by performing a frequency shift using a component of an input frequency. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the mixer 105 may perform a function of converting into a frequency capable of wireless transmission based on a signal input from the IF input unit 101 and a signal input from the LO module 103. have. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the mixer 105 may transmit a signal generated through frequency conversion to the driver amplifying unit 107.

The driver amplification unit 107 operates to amplify an input signal. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the driver amplification unit 107 requires a high gain and high power to transmit a signal received from the mixer 105 to a communication receiving end, and the up-frequency converter The converted high-frequency RF frequency may include a driving amplifier for having high gain and a power amplifier for having high power. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the driver amplification unit 107 includes a drive amplifier (DA) that amplifies a gain, an RF filter that allows only a desired frequency to be selected, and power to transmit the RF frequency to the communication receiver. It includes a power amplifier (PA) that amplifies the signal and an RF output terminal that outputs the amplified RF frequency. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the driver amplifying unit may amplify the RF signal received from the mixer 105 and output the amplified signal.

2 illustrates a configuration of a communication unit 200 in a wireless communication system according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. 2 illustrates a configuration for transmitting the frequency generated in FIG. 1.

Referring to FIG. 2, the communication unit includes a frequency conversion unit 201, a frequency multiplier 203, and a transmission/reception unit 205.

The frequency converter 201 performs a function for up-converting a frequency. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the frequency converter 201 may receive an IF signal of an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) method, convert a frequency, and transmit the converted frequency to the transceiver 205.

The frequency multiplication unit 203 performs a function of outputting the received frequency as an integer multiple of the frequency. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the frequency multiplication unit 203 may amplify a frequency by n times and output it. For example, when an LO frequency signal of about 5 to 5.75 GHz is input, a frequency of about 20 to 23 GHz is received. You can output a signal.

The transceiver 205 performs functions for transmitting and receiving signals through a wireless channel. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the transceiver 205 may generate a signal for wireless transmission based on a signal received from the uplink frequency converter. For example, the transmission/reception unit 205 may change and output a signal of about 10 to 11.5 GHz band to a signal of about 26.5 to 29.5 GHz band in order to perform ^{5 th generation (5G) communication.}

3 illustrates a configuration of an apparatus 300 for uplink frequency conversion in a wireless communication system according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 3, an apparatus 300 for up-frequency conversion may include a quadrature signal generator (QSG) 310 and a Tx up-mixer chain 360.

The QSG 310 performs a function of generating an LO signal for transmission to the up-conversion chain 360. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the QSG 310 may generate a rail-to-rail LO signal for driving an I/Q mixer (in-phase/quadrature mixer). The QSG 310 may include a balun 311, an LO driver 313, an inductor 315, a frequency divider 317, and LO buffers 319-1 to 319-2.

The balun 311 performs a signal conversion function between a balanced circuit and an unbalanced circuit, and uses a difference in phase between current and voltage with respect to the gate and drain of a field effect transistor (FET). ), may include a structure incorporating a common gate. The signal output from the balun is input to the frequency divider 317 through the LO driver 313 and the inductor 315. For example, the inductor 315 may include an inductance of about 0.65 nH. However, according to another embodiment, the inductance value may be changed according to the user's setting.

The frequency distribution unit 317 may include at least two current-mode logic latches. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the frequency distribution unit 317 includes a first CML latch 321-1 and a second CML latch 321-2, and the CML latches may be connected in a cross-coupled manner. . According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, in a manner in which the first CML latch 321-1 is cross-coupled with each other, D+ and D- ends of the first CML latch 321-1 are connected to Q- and Q+ of the second CML latch 321-2, respectively, 2 It is connected to the input terminal of the LO buffer 319-2. The Q+ and Q- terminals of the first CML latch 321-1 are connected to the D+ and D- terminals of the second CML latch, respectively, and are connected to the input terminals of the first LO buffer 319-1. The signal output from the frequency divider 317 is input to the LO buffers 319-1 to 319-2 for amplifying the frequency signal based on the cross-coupled CML latches.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the QSG 310 receives an LO input signal through the balun 311, and the balun 311 receives the LO input signal, outputs a balanced signal, and transmits it to the LO driver 313 do. The transmitted signal may be applied with an inductive peaking technique. The frequency distribution unit 317 includes a cross-coupled CML latch operating in an ultra-high frequency band, and generates an I/Q output signal based on the CML latch. After that, the QSG 310 uses a limiter-based LO buffer implemented by cascade connection of an inverter-based high-gain amplifier to generate a rail-to-rail LO signal to generate the rail-to-rail LO output signal. Generate. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a gain mismatch and a phase mismatch between an in-phase mixer and a Q mixer may be reduced based on CML latches that are cross-coupled with each other.

The up-conversion chain 360 performs a frequency up-conversion function. The up-conversion chain 360 includes IF amplifiers 361-1 to 361-2, frequency mixers 363-1 to 363-2, GM stages 365-1 to 365-2, and negative GM stages 367. ), a variable resistor 369, a variable capacitor 371, and a transformer 373.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the IF amplifiers 361-1 to 361-2 receive a baseband signal through a baseband stage, convert it into an intermediate frequency signal, amplify the converted signal, and use frequency mixers ( 363-1 to 363-2). The IF amplifiers 361-1 to 361-2 may receive an intermediate frequency signal through an intermediate frequency terminal, amplify the intermediate frequency signal, and input it to the frequency mixers 363-1 to 363-2.

The frequency mixers 363-1 to 363-2 perform a function of mixing at least two frequency input signals and converting them into a new frequency output signal. The function of converting the frequency includes at least one of heterodyning, frequency shifting, and frequency mixing. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the first frequency mixer 363-1 receives the output signal of the first LO buffer 319-1 of the QSG and the output signal of the first IF amplifier 361-1, and receives the frequency To mix. The second frequency mixer 363-2 receives the output signal of the second LO buffer 319-2 of the QSG and the output signal of the second IF amplifier 361-2 and converts the frequency. The frequency mixers 363-1 to 363-2 transfer the output ports of each frequency mixer to the mixer GM stage after performing the upstream frequency conversion. The mixer GM stage includes GM stages 365-1 to 365-2, and is connected in parallel with a negative GM stage 367 (hereinafter, referred to as NGM), a variable resistor 369, a variable capacitor 371, and Can be connected. The up-conversion chain 360 may generate a signal for RF output based on the mixer GM stage and the transformer 373 in the frequency mixers 363-1 to 363-2. For example, the k value of the transformer 373 may include 0.61. However, according to another embodiment, the k value of the transformer may be changed according to the user's setting.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the up-conversion chain 360 may receive a base signal in a voltage mode based on a super source follower (SSF) to the baseband end. The up-conversion chain 360 may drive the IF stage of a passive double balanced frequency mixer having a low impedance based on reception of an input signal. The frequency mixers 363-1 to 363-2 may be driven based on the LO signal transmitted from the QSG 310 and the signal transmitted from the IF amplifiers 361-1 to 361-2. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the frequency mixers 363-1 to 363-2 include an I mixer and a Q mixer. The up-conversion chain 360 may perform up-frequency conversion by driving the I mixer and the Q mixer. The up-frequency converted voltage signal at the RF ports of the I-mixer and Q-mixer can be converted into RF current based on the mixer GM stage.

The converted RF current signal is coupled in a current mode at the primary coil end of the transformer. The transformer may form a complex Tx signal (I+jQ) based on the RF current signal, and configure it to be magnetically coupled to a single-ended secondary coil to output an RF signal. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the up-conversion chain 360 may include NGMs 367 coupled to both ends of a primary coil having a differential (balanced) structure in a transformer. According to various embodiments, the NGM 367 may be a circuit including two n-channel metal oxide semiconductors (NMOSs) arranged in a cross-coupled pair structure. As the NGM 367 is configured to operate in a sub-threshold region, the up-conversion chain 360 generates a component having the same size and a different polarity as the third harmonic component generated in the GM stage. I can make it. The up-conversion chain 360 may remove the third harmonic component by using a component having the same size as the third harmonic component and having a different polarity.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a BB signal is input to the IF terminal of a passive double balanced frequency mixer (I mixer, Q mixer) having a relatively low impedance baseband I signal and Q signal in a voltage mode using SSF. do. QSG generates a rail-to-rail-sized I/Q LO signal with a duty ratio of more than a threshold (about 0.25), and the upconversion chain is a mixer through the LO ports of the I mixer and Q mixer. A switch element constituting a may perform an up-frequency conversion function of the BB signal based on an ON or OFF operation. The up-frequency converted voltage signal can be converted into a current signal at the GM stage implemented as a cascode circuit, and the I and Q signals converted to the current mode are the primary of the transformer connected differentially (balanced) as a load. It can be synthesized in a coil to generate a complex signal. The up-conversion chain 360 may generate an output signal synthesized by a load connected to the secondary coil by transferring the complex signal to a secondary coil implemented as a single-ended signal. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, an apparatus for up-conversion may include a passive mixer.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the up-conversion chain 360 combines the I signal and the Q signal in a current mode, and the NGM 367 implemented as a cross-coupled NMOS pair is a sub-threshold region. By operating in the GM stage, the third harmonic component can be reduced. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the center frequency may be adjusted based on a capacitor bank in which capacitors are connected in parallel to both ends of a primary coil of a transformer connected to a load of a GM stage. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the LO input signal includes a signal having a frequency of about 20 to 23 GHz, and the input resistance for the LO input signal of the QSG is increased by 1000 Ω for the baseband signal of the 50 Ω up-conversion chain. Including the case where the RF output resistance of the conversion chain is 50Ω.

In the apparatus according to the embodiments of the present disclosure, the apparatus according to the embodiments of the present disclosure post-processes the up-converted signal through the negative GM stage in order to remove the harmonic component. Linearity is improved by removing harmonic components based on the negative GM stage. According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, higher linearity may be achieved by post-processing a signal including a harmonic component rather than removing a harmonic component before up-conversion. In particular, since the negative GM stage implemented through the NMOS transistor operates in weak inversion, linearity improvement can be achieved without additional power consumption.

According to various embodiments, the transistor includes a bipolar junction transistor (BJT) and a field effect transistor (FET). FETs include a metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET) using an oxide as a dielectric material, and a metal insulator semiconductor field effect transistor (MISFET) using an insulator of a metal semiconductor field effect transistor (MESFET) using an intrinsic semiconductor. Hereinafter, the present disclosure shows a case of a circuit using a MOSFET, but includes a case implemented by being replaced with a transistor performing the same function.

According to various embodiments, a MOSFET is an n-channel metal oxide semiconductor (NMOS) that forms an N-Channel by doping an n-type source and a drain on a p-type substrate, and a P-Channel by doping a p-type source and a drain on the n-type substrate. It includes a p-channel metal oxide semiconductor (PMOS) to form. The driving performance of the MOSFET may be determined based on W indicating the channel width and L indicating the channel length. The amount of current passing through the MOSFET can be adjusted according to the ratio of the channel length L and the channel width W, and the parameter M related to the driving performance of the MOSFET can be determined based on L and W.

According to various embodiments, the threshold voltage of the MOSFET is a voltage at which a channel starts to be formed in the MOSFET, and when a voltage is applied to the gate, it indicates a voltage at which current starts flowing between the source and the drain, and the threshold voltage is applied to the sub-threshold region It indicates the area where the leakage current flows in the area before the shutdown When the voltage applied to the gate increases in the process of forming the channel in the MOSFET, the p-type and the n-type may be inverted at the interface of the semiconductor oxide layer as the energy band is bent on the semiconductor surface. The degree of reversal can be classified into weak inversion and strong inversion based on the difference in electric field strength.

According to various embodiments, the process of operating in a sub-critical region in a MOSFET is a weak inversion state in which a channel is weakly formed when the strength of the electric field in the depletion region of the transistor decreases as the voltage applied to the gate increases. Including the process of operating in.

According to various embodiments, the transconductance (GM) of a transistor is a measure of the amplification factor of a device while performing the role of a voltage-controlled current source. In the case of BJT, it indicates the ratio of the base-emitter voltage and the collector current, and in the case of FET Includes the case of indicating the current ratio of the source voltage and the drain. The GM stage can instruct a circuit that amplifies and outputs an input signal by acting as a voltage control current source in a circuit.

Hereinafter, examples of specific structures of the device 300 of FIG. 3 and operations of the device 300 are described through FIGS. 4 to 10.

4 is a diagram illustrating a circuit configuring a balun 400 in a wireless communication system according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. The balloon 400 illustrates the balloon 315 of FIG. 3.

Referring to FIG. 4, the balun 400 may include resistors 411 to 416, capacitors 421 to 426, and transistors 431 to 436. In FIG. 4, the transistors 431 to 436 are NMOS, but the NMOS transistors may be replaced with p-channel metal oxide semiconductor (PMOS) transistors that perform the same function.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the balun 400 receives an input signal, outputs a balanced signal, and transmits it to the LO driver 313. The balun 400 receives an input signal from the input terminal 401 and outputs a signal through the output terminal 441 and the output terminal 443. The output terminals 441 and 443 are output terminals of the balun and may be connected to one of the input terminals of the LO driver of FIG. 5A. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the balun 400 may operate by applying a voltage to the R2s 415 and 416, and a signal input from the input terminal includes an LO signal.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, some of the elements included in the balun 400 may be omitted. For example, device values of devices included in the balun may be determined through Table 1. However, <Table 1> is only an example of the device value of the device constituting the balun, according to another embodiment, may be changed according to the user's setting.

device Element value R _M1 187 Ω R _M2 23.4 Ω R ₁ 50 kΩ R ₂ 446 Ω C ₁ , C ₂ , C ₃ 464 fF C ₄ 208 fF M ₁ 36 μm (W), 60 nm (L) M ₂ 44 μm (W), 60 nm (L) M ₃ 36 μm (W), 60 nm (L)

5A is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a local oscillator (LO) driver 500 in a wireless communication system according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 5A, the LO driver 500 includes input terminals 501 to 502, LO drivers 503-1 to 503-2, output terminals 507 and 509, and an inductor 505.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the + terminal input terminal 501 is connected to the + terminal output terminal 507 through the first LO driver 503-1, and the-terminal input terminal 502 is the second LO driver 503. It can be connected to the -terminal output terminal 509 through -2). The inductor 505 may be connected between the + terminal output terminal 507 and the-terminal output terminal 509.

5A illustrates a 3-stage LO driver, but embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited thereto. According to another embodiment, the LO driver may be implemented with a plurality of stages, not 3-stage. In addition, according to another embodiment, some of the elements included in the LO driver 500 may be omitted. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The inductor 505 may have a device value of about 650 pH. However, the device value of 650 pH is only an example of the device value of the device constituting the LO driver, and may be changed according to the user's setting.

5B illustrates a circuit 550 configuring a local oscillator (LO) driver in a wireless communication system according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. 5B illustrates a circuit constituting the first LO driver 503-1 and/or the second LO driver 503-2 shown in FIG. 5A.

Referring to FIG. 5B, the LO driver configuration circuit 550 may include resistors 553-1 to 553-2, a capacitor 552, and transistors 554-1 to 554-2. In FIG. 5B, the transistors 554-1 to 554-2 are shown as NMOS and PMOS, but NMOS and PMOS may be replaced with PMOS and NMOS respectively performing the same function.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the LO driver configuration circuit 550 receives an input signal from the input terminal 551. The balanced signal output from the output terminals 441 and 443 of the balun 400 is transmitted to the input terminal of the LO driver. The LO driver configuration circuit 550 generates an output signal for input to the frequency divider and outputs the signal through the output terminal 555. The output terminal 555 of the LO driver configuration circuit may be connected to one of an input terminal of another LO driver or an input terminal of a frequency divider.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, some of the elements included in the LO driver configuration circuit 550 may be omitted. For example, device values of devices included in the LO driver configuration circuit may be determined through <Table 2>. However, <Table 2> is only an example of the device values of the devices constituting the LO driver configuration circuit, and may be changed according to the user's setting according to other embodiments.

device Element value R ₁ 11 kΩ R ₂ 6.6 kΩ C ₁ 219.5 fF M ₁ 16 μm (W), 60 nm (L) M ₂ 24 μm (W), 60 nm (L)

6 illustrates a circuit configuring a current-mode logic latch (CML) 600 in a wireless communication system according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. 6 illustrates a circuit constituting a CML latch included in the frequency distribution unit 317 shown in FIG. 3.

Referring to FIG. 6, the latch 600 may include transistors 611 to 622, resistors 631 to 632, inductors 641 to 642, and capacitors 651 to 652. In FIG. 6, the transistors 554-1 to 554-2 illustrate NMOS, but the NMOS may be replaced with a PMOS that performs the same function.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a signal passing through the balun 400 and the LO driver 500 is input to the clock terminals 601 and 602 of the latch. Signals output through the output terminals 507 and 509 of the LO driver are input to the clock terminals of the latch. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the latch circuit outputs signals through the + stage 661, the D- stage 662, the Q+ stage 671, and the Q- stage 672.

The frequency distribution unit 317 may include a plurality of CML latches, and the plurality of CML latches may be connected in a cross-coupled manner. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the Q+ terminal of the first CML latch may be connected to the input terminal 701 of the LO buffer illustrated in FIG. 7 and the D+ terminal of the second CML latch. The Q-end of the first CML latch may be connected to the input end 702 of the LO buffer shown in FIG. 7 and the D-end of the second CML latch. The Q+ terminal of the second CML latch may be connected to the input terminal 701 of the LO buffer shown in FIG. 7 and the D- terminal of the first CML latch. The Q- terminal of the second CML latch may be connected to the input terminal 702 of the LO buffer shown in FIG. 7 and the D+ terminal of the first CML latch.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, some of the elements included in the CML latch configuration circuit 600 may be omitted. For example, device values of devices included in the CML latch configuration circuit may be determined through <Table 3>. However, <Table 3> is only an example of the device values of the devices constituting the CML latch configuration circuit, and may be changed according to the user's setting according to other embodiments.

device Element value R ₁ 200 Ω L ₁ 550 pH C ₁ 172.5 fF M ₁ 33.6 μm (W), 60 nm (L) M ₂ 12.6 μm(W), 60 nm(L) M ₃ 4.2 μm (W), 60 nm (L) M ₄ 20 μm (W), 60 nm (L) M ₅ 42 μm (W), 60 nm (L)

7A is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an LO buffer 700 in a wireless communication system according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 7A, the configuration of the LO buffer 700 includes input terminals 701 to 702, LO buffers 703-1 to 703-2, and output terminals 707 and 709.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the + terminal input terminal 701 is connected to the + terminal output terminal 707 through the first LO buffer 703-1, and the-terminal input terminal 702 is the second LO buffer 703. It can be connected to the -terminal output terminal 909 through -2).

7A illustrates a 4-stage LO buffer, but embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited thereto. According to another embodiment, the LO buffer may be implemented with a plurality of stages rather than 4-stage. In addition, according to another embodiment, some of the elements included in the LO buffer 700 may be omitted. It is only an example of a device value of a device constituting the LO buffer, and may be changed according to a user's setting according to another embodiment.

7B illustrates a circuit 750 configuring an LO buffer in a wireless communication system according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. 7B illustrates a circuit constituting the first LO buffer 703-1 and/or the second LO buffer 703-2 shown in FIG. 7A.

Referring to FIG. 7B, the LO buffer configuration circuit 750 may include resistors 753-1 to 753-2, a capacitor 752, and transistors 754-1 to 754-2. In FIG. 7B, the transistors 754-1 to 754-2 are shown as NMOS and PMOS, but NMOS and PMOS may be replaced with PMOS and NMOS respectively performing the same function.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the LO buffer configuration circuit 750 receives an input signal from the input terminal 751. Signals output from the output terminals 661 to 662 and 671 to 672 of the latches are transmitted to the input terminals of the LO buffer. The LO driver configuration circuit 550 generates an output signal for input to the frequency divider and outputs the signal through the output terminal 755. The LO buffer configuration circuit may operate by applying a voltage to the source of the M4 854-2. The output terminal 755 is an output terminal of the LO buffer configuration circuit and may be connected to one of an input terminal of another LO buffer or an input terminal of a frequency mixer.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, some of the elements included in the LO buffer configuration circuit 750 may be omitted. For example, device values of devices included in the LO buffer configuration circuit may be determined through <Table 4>. However, <Table 4> is only an example of device values of the devices constituting the LO buffer configuration circuit, and may be changed according to a user's setting according to other embodiments.

device Element value R ₃ 11 kΩ R ₄ 6.6 kΩ C ₂ 158.4 fF M ₃ 7.2 μm (W), 60 nm (L) M ₄ 12 μm (W), 60 nm (L)

8 illustrates a circuit configuring an intermediate frequency (IF) amplifying unit 800 in a wireless communication system according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. The IF amplifier unit exemplifies the IF input unit 101 of FIG. 1.

Referring to FIG. 8, the IF amplifier 800 is a component that amplifies an IF signal, and the IF amplifier may include an IF LO (local oscillator), an IF mixer, an IF amplifier, and a channel selection filter. The IF LO functions to supply the LO frequency to the IF for converting the baseband signal to the IF signal. The IF mixer generates an IF signal based on the baseband signal and the IF LO signal. The IF amplifier performs the function of amplifying the IF signal, and the channel selection filter performs the function of filtering and selecting the bandpass corresponding to the required channel according to the setting. The IF amplifier 800 may generate an IF signal based on the baseband signal and the LO signal. The IF amplifier 800 may amplify the generated IF signal through an IF amplifier and output an IF signal corresponding to a required band.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the IF amplifier 800 may include transistors 811 to 820. In FIG. 8, the transistors 811 to 820 are illustrated as NMOS and PMOS, but NMOS and PMOS may be replaced with PMOS and NMOS respectively performing the same function.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the IF amplifier 800 receives signals from the + input terminal 801 and the-input terminal 802, and outputs the received signal through the + output terminal 831 and the-output terminal 832. can do. The + output terminal 831 and the-output terminal 832 may be connected to the IF + input terminal 911 and IF- input terminal 912 of the mixer for frequency conversion shown in FIG. 9.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, some of the elements included in the circuit configuring the IF amplifier 800 may be omitted. The device values of the devices included in the IF amplifier can be determined through <Table 5>. However, <Table 5> is only an example of the element values of the elements constituting the IF amplifier, and may be changed according to the user's setting according to other embodiments.

device Element value M ₁ 33.6 μm (W), 60 nm (L) M ₂ 12.6 μm(W), 60 nm(L) M ₃ 4.2 μm (W), 60 nm (L) M ₄ 20 μm (W), 60 nm (L) M ₅ 42 μm (W), 60 nm (L)

9 illustrates a circuit configuring a mixer 900 in a wireless communication system according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. Mixer 900 illustrates the mixer 105 of FIG. 1.

Referring to FIG. 9, the mixer 900 performs a function of converting a frequency into an RF signal based on an LO signal and an IF signal. The mixer may generate an RF signal by mixing the IF signal generated based on the baseband signal with the LO signal transmitted from the QSG.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the mixer 900 may include transistors 903 to 906. In FIG. 9, the transistors 903 to 906 are NMOSs, but the NMOSs may be replaced with PMOSs that perform the same function.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the mixer 900 may receive an LO signal from the LO+ input terminal 901 and the LO- input terminal 902. The mixer 900 may receive an IF signal from the IF+ input terminal 911 and the IF- input terminal 912. The mixer 900 may generate an RF signal by mixing the received signals. The generated RF signal may be output through the RF+ output terminal 907 and the RF-output terminal 908. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the LO input terminals 901 to 902 may be connected to the output terminals 707 and 709 of the LO buffer 700, respectively, and the IF input terminals 911 to 912 are each an IF amplifier ( 800) may be connected to the output terminals 831 to 832.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, some of the elements included in the circuit constituting the mixer 900 may be omitted. For example, device values of devices included in the IF amplifier may be determined through <Table 6>. However, <Table 6> is only an example of the element values of the elements constituting the IF amplifier, and may be changed according to the user's setting according to other embodiments.

device Element value M ₁ 15 μm (W), 60 nm (L)

10 illustrates a circuit of a chain 1000 using a mixer transconductance (GM) stage and a negative GM stage (NGM) in a wireless communication system according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 10, the chain 1000 includes a first GM 1010, a second GM 1040, and a negative transconductance (NGM) 1070. The first GM 1010 and the second GM 1070 may receive a voltage signal converted to an up-frequency frequency by a mixer, and may perform a function of converting the received signal into an RF current signal. The NGM 1070 may perform a function of removing a harmonic component generated in relation to the first GM and the second GM.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the first GM 1010 may include resistors 1013 to 1016, capacitors 1017 to 1020, and transistors 1021 to 1024. The first GM receives signals from InI+ input terminal 1011 and InI- input terminal 1012. The first GM generates a signal converted to RF current based on the input signal, and the generated signal is output through Out+ (1077) and Out- (1078).

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the second GM 1040 may include resistors 1043 to 1046, capacitors 1047 to 1050, and transistors 1051 to 1054. The second GM receives signals from the InQ+ input terminal 1041 and the InQ- input terminal 1042. The second GM generates a signal converted to RF current based on the input signal, and the generated signal is output through Out- (1078) and Out+ (1077).

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the NGM 1070 may include resistors 1071 to 1072, capacitors 1073 to 1074, and transistors 1075 to 1076. The NGM 1070 may be configured to operate in a sub-threshold region after connecting negative resistors implemented as a cross-coupled NMOS pair to both ends of the resistor in parallel. The NGM 1070 generates a removal component having the same size and polarity as the third harmonic component generated in the cascode circuit applied to implement the first GM and the second GM. The removal component generated by the NGM 1070 may perform a function of mitigating a third harmonic component generated in GM.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, some of the elements included in the chain 1000 using the mixer GM stage and the negative GM stage may be omitted. For example, the device values of the devices included in the chain may be determined through <Table 7>. However, <Table 7> is only an example of the element values of the elements constituting the chain 1000, and may be changed according to the user's setting according to other embodiments.

device Element value R ₁ 50 kΩ R ₂ 50 kΩ C ₁ 1.3 pF C ₂ 54 fF M ₁ 45 μm (W), 60 nm (L) M ₂ 13 μm (W), 60 nm (L)

11 is a graph 1100 of a change in inter modulation according to a frequency in a wireless communication system according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. When a signal having a frequency passes through a nonlinear device, intermodulation occurs, so that intermodulation distortion (IMD) measurements are possible.

Referring to FIG. 11, the measurement result 1110 represents the magnitude of the signal gain passing through the GM terminal. The measurement result 1160 indicates the magnitude of the gain of the signal passing through the NGM 1070. Measurement results showing the change of the third order ^{IMD (3 rd intermodulation distortion, IM3} ).

The measurement result 1110 shows the magnitude of the intermodulation component for the third harmonic generated as the signal having the _{frequencies w 1} and w ₂ passing through the GM terminal passes through the nonlinear element. The measurement result 1160 represents the magnitude of the intermodulation component for the third harmonic generated as the signal having _{the frequencies w 1} and w ₂ passing through the NGM stage passes through the nonlinear element.

Transistors have nonlinear characteristics in which the ratio of input and output is not constant. Depending on the case where the input signal x passes through the nonlinear element, the output signal y may be expressed as <Equation 1>.

인 경우, 입력 신호 x₁을 <수학식 1>에 대입하면 출력 신호 y₁은

주파수에 관한 성분을 포함한다. 도 11은 입력 주파수와 동일한 주파수

인 경우 신호의 세기와, 3차 하모닉 성분에 해당하는 주파수

인 경우 신호 이득의 세기를 예시한다. 또한 서브 임계 영역은 임계 전압이 가해지기 이전 영역에서 누설 전류가 흐르는 영역을 지시하는 것으로서, MOSFET에서 채널이 형성되는 과정에 있어 게이트에 인가되는 전압이 증가한 경우 반전(inversion)이 발생한다. 3차 하모닉 성분을 포함하는 신호들은 NGM으로 입력되고, 서브 임계 영역에서 동작하는 NGM에서 발생하는 반전에 기반하여, 3차 하모닉 성분에 해당하는 주파수

신호는 상쇄될 수 있다. 따라서 NGM(1070)을 통과한 신호는, 3차 하모닉 성분과 관련된 주파수에 관하여 IM3가 감소한다. 도 11을 참고하면, 하모닉 성분 제거에 관한 성능이 개선됨이 확인될 수 있다.In this case, the input signal with _{frequencies w 1} and w _{2 is}

In the case of, if the input signal x ₁ is substituted into <Equation 1>, the output signal y ₁ is

Contains components related to frequency. 11 shows the same frequency as the input frequency

In the case of, the signal strength and the frequency corresponding to the third harmonic component

In the case of, the strength of the signal gain is exemplified. In addition, the sub-threshold region indicates a region through which leakage current flows in a region before the threshold voltage is applied, and inversion occurs when the voltage applied to the gate increases in the process of forming a channel in the MOSFET. Signals containing the third harmonic component are input to the NGM, and a frequency corresponding to the third harmonic component is based on the inversion occurring in the NGM operating in the sub-critical region.

The signal can be canceled out. Thus, the signal passing through the NGM 1070 has a decrease in IM3 with respect to the frequency associated with the third harmonic component. Referring to FIG. 11, it can be seen that the performance for removing harmonic components is improved.

Figure 12a shows a graph 1200 of the IM3 and OIP3 (3 ^rd order intercept point) according to the case, the frequency one performs the up-frequency conversion in a wireless communication system in accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 12A, a graph 1200 shows a gain size of an output signal versus an input frequency. The horizontal axis represents the RF frequency (unit: GHz), and the vertical axis represents the output gain (unit: dB). , Graph 1200 shows the magnitude of the gain of the output signal before and after passing through the NGM 1070 for 11.25 GHz and 11.26 GHz frequency signals. The thin solid line indicates the gain value of the output signal before passing through the NGM, and the thick solid line shows the gain value of the output signal after passing through the NGM. Referring to FIG. 12A, the output signal in the 11.24 GHz and 11.27 GHz frequency domains for the third harmonic component decreases the gain of the output after using the NGM compared to before using the NGM. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, compared to a signal having a frequency of 11.24 GHz, IM3 is improved to -63.9 dBc and OIP3 is 14.45 dBm, compared to a signal having a frequency of 11.24 GHz, and a signal having a frequency of 11.27 GHz has an IM3 of -57.1 dBc compared to a signal of 11.26 GHz. , OIP3 is improved to 11.87 dBm.

12B is a graph 1250 of an image rejection ratio (IRR) according to frequency when uplink frequency conversion is performed in a wireless communication system according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 12B, a graph 1250 represents a gain size of an output signal versus an input frequency. The horizontal axis represents the RF frequency (unit: GHz), and the vertical axis represents the output gain (unit: dB). A graph 1250 shows the magnitude of a gain of an output signal according to an RF output frequency when up-frequency conversion is performed. In the case of using NGM, it is confirmed that IRR is improved to -46.9 dBc and LO leakage is improved to -37.7 dBc.

13A illustrates a graph 1300 of an output signal strength and a gain mismatch value in an I/Q channel according to a frequency when up-frequency conversion is performed in a wireless communication system according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 13A, a graph 1300 shows the power intensity of an output signal versus an input frequency. The horizontal axis represents RF frequency (unit: GHz), and the vertical axis represents output (unit: dBm). The graph 1300 shows the strength 1301 of the up-converted RF output signal for the I channel, the strength 1302 of the RF output signal up-converted for the Q channel, the strength of the RF output signal for the I channel, and the Q channel. The magnitude 1303 of the gain mismatch of the RF output signal is shown. Referring to FIG. 13A, since the gain mismatch value does not exceed 0.1 dB at 11.2 GHz, it can be confirmed that the signal gain error is improved.

13B is a graph 1350 of a phase mismatch according to a gain mismatch when uplink frequency conversion is performed in a wireless communication system according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

13B, the horizontal axis of the graph 1350 represents gain mismatch (unit: dB), and the vertical axis represents phase mismatch (unit: degree (°)). The phase mismatch can be determined using a contour with respect to the gain mismatch value. According to various embodiments, when the gain mismatch is 0.1 dB, it may be confirmed that the IRR is determined to be a value between -40 and -45, and the phase mismatch is determined to be 0.5 or less.

14 is a flowchart 1400 of an operation of an apparatus for uplink frequency conversion in a wireless communication system according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. 14 shows a method of operating the device.

Referring to FIG. 14, in step 1401, the device receives a first local oscillator (LO) signal. The apparatus receives a first LO signal, which functions as a reference signal for generating a second LO signal used for up-frequency conversion.

In step 1403, the device generates a second LO signal based on the cross-coupled latch. The device generates a second LO signal for driving the I mixer and the Q mixer based on the received first LO signal. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, an apparatus corrects a phase of an LO signal based on an active balun and generates an I/Q signal based on latches that are cross-coupled. A gain mismatch and a phase mismatch between an in-phase mixer and a Q mixer may be reduced based on the CML latches cross-coupled to each other. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the signal generator is connected to a limiter implemented by cascade connection of an inverter-based high gain amplifier to generate a second LO signal, which is a rail-to-rail signal related to the first LO signal. A rail-to-rail second LO signal is generated using the based LO buffer.

In step 1405, the device receives an input signal. The input signal received by the device may include at least one of a baseband signal and an intermediate frequency signal.

In step 1407, the device generates an up-conversion frequency signal based on the second LO signal and the input signal. The apparatus generates a frequency-up-converted signal based on the frequency mixer of the second LO signal and the input signal. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, when receiving a baseband signal, the device may convert the baseband signal into an intermediate frequency signal and amplify it, and when receiving the intermediate frequency signal, the device may amplify and use the received intermediate frequency signal. The device up-converts the frequency through the frequency mixer based on the amplified intermediate frequency signal and the second LO signal generated in step 1403.

In step 1409, the device generates an output signal obtained by processing a harmonic component of the generated up-conversion frequency based on a negative transconductance (GM) operating in a sub-threshold region. According to an embodiment, the device generates a signal converted to the current mode by inputting the up-converted frequency signal through a mixer to a GM terminal implemented as a cascode circuit. The device combines the I and Q signals in current mode and inputs the combined signals to the negative GM stage implemented as a cross-coupled NMOS pair. The signal passing through the GM stage can be classified into signals related to phases 0°, 90°, 180°, and 270°, and a first signal including signals related to phases 0° and 270°, and phases 90° and 180 The second signal including the signals about ° is input to the input terminal of each negative GM terminal. The negative GM stage can operate with weak inversion in the sub-critical region. The negative GM stage can generate a signal of the same frequency as the 3rd harmonic component in order to remove the 3rd harmonic component generated in the GM stage. The negative GM stage uses the generated signal to process the harmonic component by canceling the signal corresponding to the third harmonic component from the signal received from the GM stage. According to an embodiment, the process of generating the output signal processed with the harmonic component is based on a signal of the same frequency as the third harmonic component generated by the negative GM stage by operating in a sub-critical region with a negative GM stage. Thus, it includes a process of offsetting the third harmonic component generated in the GM stage. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, capacitors may be connected in parallel to both ends of a primary coil of a transformer connected to a load of a GM terminal, and a center frequency may be adjusted based on a capacitor bank formed by a capacitor connected in parallel.

In step 1411 the device transmits the generated output signal. The device transmits an RF output signal from which the harmonic components have been removed through post-processing based on the NGM and up-frequency converted in step 1407.

15 is a flowchart 1500 illustrating an operation of a signal generator of an apparatus for uplink frequency conversion in a wireless communication system according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. 15 shows an operation process of the QSG 310 of FIG. 3.

Referring to FIG. 15, in step 1501, the signal generator corrects the phase of the LO signal based on the balun. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the QSG receives a first LO input signal through an active balun, and the balun outputs a balanced signal based on the received first LO signal and transmits the balanced signal to the LO driver. The transmitted signal may be applied with an inductive peaking technique.

In step 1503, the signal generator generates a second LO signal based on the cross-coupled latches. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the signal generator includes a plurality of latches operating in an ultra-high frequency band, and the plurality of latches may be cross-coupled. The signal generator generates an I/Q output signal based on the cross-coupled CML latch. A gain mismatch and a phase mismatch between an in-phase mixer and a Q mixer may be reduced based on the CML latches cross-coupled to each other.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, in a method of cross-coupled with each other, the D+ and D- ends of the first CML latch are connected to the Q- and Q+ of the second CML latch, respectively, and are connected to the input terminal of the second LO buffer, and the first CML latch is connected to the input terminal of the second LO buffer. The Q+ and Q- terminals of the 1 CML latch are connected to the D+ and D- terminals of the second CML latch, respectively, and are connected to the input terminal of the first LO buffer. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the device may generate a second LO signal, which is a rail-to-rail signal having a duty ratio of 25 percent based on the first LO signal.

In step 1505, the signal generator outputs a second LO signal. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the signal generator is connected to a limiter implemented by cascade connection of an inverter-based high gain amplifier to generate a second LO signal, which is a rail-to-rail signal related to the first LO signal. A rail-to-rail second LO signal is generated using the based LO buffer. The signal generator may output the second LO signal and transmit it to the signal converter for up-frequency conversion.

16 is a flowchart 1600 illustrating an operation of a signal converter of an apparatus for uplink frequency conversion in a wireless communication system according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 16 shows an operation process of the context conversion chain 360 of FIG. 3.

Referring to FIG. 16, in step 1601, the signal converter receives an input signal. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, when a baseband signal is received, the baseband signal is converted into an intermediate frequency signal and amplified, and when the intermediate frequency signal is received, the received intermediate frequency signal is amplified.

In step 1603, the signal converter generates an up-converted frequency based on the frequency mixer. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the signal converter may up-convert the frequency through the passive double balanced frequency mixer based on the amplified intermediate frequency signal and the second LO signal. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the signal converter may drive the IF stage of a passive double balanced frequency mixer having a low impedance. The frequency mixer may be driven based on the LO signal transmitted from the signal generator and the input signal transmitted from the IF amplifier. The signal converter drives the frequency mixer to perform upstream frequency conversion. The up-frequency converted voltage signal at the RF port of the frequency mixer is converted into RF current based on the mixer GM stage, and the converted RF current signal is combined in a current mode at the primary coil stage of the transformer.

In step 1605, the signal converter processes a harmonic component included in the up-frequency-converted signal. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the signal converter may remove a harmonic component based on the negative GM stage on the frequency converted to the up-frequency frequency. The signal converter may include a negative GM stage in which two NMOSs are arranged in a cross-coupled pair structure at both ends of the primary coil having a differential (balanced) structure in the transformer.

The signal converter is configured so that the negative GM stage operates in a sub-threshold region, so that a component having the same size as the third harmonic component occurring in the GM stage and having a different polarity can be generated. The up-conversion chain 360 may remove the third harmonic component by using a component having the same size as the third harmonic component and having a different polarity.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the signal conversion unit combines the I signal and the Q signal in a current mode, connects negative resistors implemented as a cross-coupled NMOS pair to both ends of the resistor in parallel, and then sub-thresholds (sub By configuring it to operate in the -threshold) area, it is possible to remove the third harmonic component that occurs in the GM-stage. It is possible to generate components of the same size and polarity as the third harmonic component generated in the GM stage. The signal converter may remove the third harmonic component by using a component having the same size as the third harmonic component and having a different polarity. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, capacitors may be connected in parallel to both ends of a primary coil of a transformer connected to a load of a GM-stage, and a center frequency may be adjusted based on a capacitor bank formed by a capacitor connected in parallel.

In step 1607, the signal converter generates an RF output signal based on the transformer. The signal conversion unit forms a complex signal (I+jQ) by combining the signal converted into RF current based on the GM stage in a current mode at the primary coil stage of the transformer. The signal converter generates an RF output signal by configuring the formed complex signal to be magnetically coupled to a single-ended secondary coil.

17 illustrates a wireless communication system according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. The wireless communication environment of FIG. 17 illustrates a base station 110 and a terminal 120 as part of nodes using a wireless channel.

The base station 1710 is a network infrastructure that provides wireless access to the terminal 1720. The base station 1710 has coverage defined as a certain geographic area based on a distance at which signals can be transmitted. In addition to the base station, the base station 1710 includes'access point (AP)','eNodeB, eNB', '5G node', and '5G NodeB, NB)','wireless point','transmission/reception point (TRP)','access unit','distributed unit (DU)','transmission/reception point (TRP)', transmission/reception point, TRP)', a radio unit (RU), a remote radio head (RRH), or another term having an equivalent technical meaning. The base station 1710 may transmit a downlink signal or receive an uplink signal.

The terminal 1720 is a device used by a user and performs communication with the base station 1710 through a wireless channel. In some cases, the terminal 1720 may be operated without a user's involvement. That is, the terminal 1720 is a device that performs machine type communication (MTC) and may not be carried by a user. Terminal 1720 is a terminal other than'user equipment (UE)','mobile station','subscriber station','customer premises equipment' (CPE) ,'Remote terminal','wireless terminal','electronic device', or'vehicle terminal','user device' or equivalent technology It may be referred to by other terms that have meaning.

As one of the techniques for mitigating the propagation path loss and increasing the propagation distance of the radio wave, a beamforming technique is used. In general, beamforming concentrates a radio wave reach area using a plurality of antennas, or increases the directivity of reception sensitivity in a specific direction. Accordingly, in order to form a beamforming coverage instead of forming a signal in an isotropic pattern using a single antenna, the base station 1710 may include a plurality of antennas. According to an embodiment, the base station 1710 may include a Massive MIMO Unit (MMU). A form in which a plurality of antennas are aggregated may be referred to as an antenna array, and each antenna included in the array may be referred to as an array element, or an antenna element. The antenna array may be configured in various forms, such as a linear array and a planar array. The antenna array may be referred to as a massive antenna array.

The main technology for improving the data capacity of 5G communication is a beamforming technology using an antenna array connected to multiple RF paths. For higher data capacity, the number of RF paths must be increased or the power per RF path must be increased. Increasing the RF path increases the size of the product, and it is at a level that cannot be increased anymore due to space constraints in installing actual base station equipment. In order to increase the antenna gain through high output without increasing the number of RF paths, the antenna gain may be increased by connecting a plurality of antenna elements to the RF path using a splitter (or divider). Here, antenna elements corresponding to the RF path may be referred to as sub-arrays.

In order to improve communication performance, the number of antennas (or antenna elements) of equipment (eg, base station 1710) that performs wireless communication is increasing. In addition, the number of RF parts (e.g., amplifiers, filters) and components for processing RF signals received or transmitted through antenna elements increases. Benefits and cost-efficiency are indispensable.

In FIG. 17, the base station 1710 of FIG. 17 is described as an example to describe an electronic device including a transmission/reception unit of the present disclosure, but various embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited thereto. As an electronic device including a transmission/reception unit according to various embodiments of the present disclosure, a wireless device performing a function equivalent to a base station in addition to the base station 1710, a wireless device connected to the base station (eg, TRP), and the terminal 1720 of FIG. 17 , Or other communication equipment used for 5G communication is of course possible.

According to the present disclosure, an apparatus for upstream frequency conversion minimizes the phase mismatch and gain mismatch generated by the mixer, thereby increasing the image rejection ratio (IRR) for the image signal caused by the two mismatches. The error vector magnitude (EVM) can be improved.

According to the present disclosure, in implementing the load of the driving amplifier of the up-conversion chain, the device for up-frequency conversion is an NMOS pair cross-coupled to both ends of the primary coil of a differential (balanced) structure connected to the load of the GM stage. After connecting the implemented negative resistors to both ends of the load in parallel, it can be operated in a sub-threshold region. Through the device for upstream frequency conversion, the third harmonic component generated in the cascode circuit applied to implement the GM-stage of the amplifier generates a component that has the same size and polarity as the third harmonic component and removes it from the load. Based on this, OIP3 can be improved.

According to the present disclosure, the device for upstream frequency conversion is 25% by cross-coupled CML latches in order to mix the frequencies by switching the LO ends of the I mixer and the Q mixer, which are passive double balanced frequency mixers constituting the context conversion chain. By forming an I/Q signal with a duty cycle and connecting three inverter-based high gain amplifiers to the I/Q signal in a cascade, the rail-to-rail voltage is controlled using a completed limiter. Can be printed. Through the device for up-conversion, it is possible to obtain a high IRR and reduce a chip consumption area by minimizing the phase mismatch caused by the frequency mixer of the up-conversion chain and these mismatches.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure as described above, a method of operating an apparatus for up-conversion in a wireless communication system includes a process of receiving a first local oscillator (LO) signal, and a latch cross-coupled with the first LO signal. A process of generating a second LO signal based on, a process of receiving an input signal, a process of generating an up-conversion frequency based on the second LO signal and the input signal, and a harmonic component included in the up-conversion frequency It may include a process of generating an output signal obtained by processing and a process of transmitting the generated output signal.

In an embodiment, the process of generating the second LO signal based on the latch cross-coupled with the first LO signal is a signal in which the phase of the first LO signal is corrected based on an active balun. The LO based on the process of generating, the process of generating an in phase/quadrature (I/Q) signal based on the cross-coupled latch, and a limiter cascaded with an inverter-based high gain amplifier. It may include a process of generating the second LO signal based on the buffer.

In an embodiment, the phase-corrected signal is applied with an inductive peaking technique, and the second LO signal has a rail-to-rail size with respect to the first LO signal. It may include a signal amplified by.

In one embodiment, when the input signal is a baseband signal, a process of amplifying the baseband signal by converting it into an intermediate frequency signal, and a process of amplifying the intermediate frequency signal when the input signal is an intermediate frequency signal It may further include.

In an embodiment, the up-conversion frequency may be generated by passing the second LO signal and the input signal through a passive dual balanced frequency mixer.

In an embodiment, the process of generating the up-conversion frequency may include a process of converting a signal passing through the double balanced frequency mixer into a radio frequency (RF) current signal.

In an embodiment, the transistor included in the device may be formed of only an n-channel metal oxide semiconductor (NMOS) transistor.

In one embodiment, in the process of generating the output signal processed by the harmonic component, the negative transconductance (GM) stage operates in a sub-threshold region, so that the third harmonic component generated in the GM stage Including the process of removing the, the negative GM may include a method implemented with a cross-linked NMOS pair.

In an embodiment, a method of adjusting a center frequency may be included based on a capacitor bank formed by a capacitor connected in parallel to the negative GM terminal.

In one embodiment, the process of generating the output signal includes a process of forming a complex signal by combining a signal converted into an RF current in a current mode at a primary coil end of a transformer, and forming a complex signal. It may include a process of generating an RF output signal by configuring magnetic coupling to the ended secondary coil.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure as described above, an apparatus for up-conversion in a wireless communication system includes at least one transmission/reception unit and at least one processor functionally coupled to the at least one transmission/reception unit, and the The at least one processor receives a first local oscillator (LO) signal, generates a second LO signal based on a latch cross-coupled with the first LO signal, receives an input signal, and receives the second LO signal And generating an up-conversion frequency based on the input signal, generating an output signal obtained by processing a harmonic component included in the up-conversion frequency, and controlling to transmit the generated output signal.

In one embodiment, the at least one processor generates a signal whose phase of the first LO signal is corrected based on an active balun, and based on the cross-coupled latch, the I/Q It may be configured to generate the (in phase/quadrature) signal and generate the second LO signal based on an LO buffer based on a limiter connected in a cascade to an inverter-based high gain amplifier.

In an embodiment, the phase-corrected signal is applied with an inductive peaking technique, and the second LO signal has a rail-to-rail size with respect to the first LO signal. It may be configured to include a signal amplified by.

In one embodiment, the at least one processor, when the input signal is a baseband signal, converts the baseband signal into an intermediate frequency signal and amplifies it, and when the input signal is an intermediate frequency signal, the intermediate frequency It can be configured to amplify the signal.

In an embodiment, the up-conversion frequency may be configured to be generated by passing the second LO signal and the input signal through a passive dual balanced frequency mixer.

In an embodiment, the at least one processor may be configured to convert a signal passing through the dual balanced frequency mixer into a radio frequency (RF) current signal.

In an embodiment, the transistor included in the device may be formed of only an n-channel metal oxide semiconductor (NMOS) transistor.

In one embodiment, the at least one processor removes the third harmonic component generated in the GM stage by allowing the negative transconductance (GM) stage to operate in a sub-threshold region, and the negative GM Can be configured to be implemented as a cross-linked NMOS pair.

In an embodiment, a center frequency may be adjusted based on a capacitor bank formed by a capacitor connected in parallel to the negative GM terminal.

In one embodiment, the at least one processor forms a complex signal by combining the signal converted into RF current in a current mode at a primary coil end of a transformer, and converts the formed complex signal into a single-ended secondary It may be configured to be magnetically coupled to the coil to generate an RF output signal.

The methods according to the embodiments described in the claims or the specification of the present disclosure may be implemented in the form of hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software.

When implemented in software, a computer-readable storage medium storing one or more programs (software modules) may be provided. One or more programs stored in a computer-readable storage medium are configured to be executable by one or more processors in an electronic device (device). The one or more programs include instructions for causing the electronic device to execute methods according to embodiments described in the claims or specification of the present disclosure.

These programs (software modules, software) include random access memory, non-volatile memory including flash memory, read only memory (ROM), and electrically erasable programmable ROM. (electrically erasable programmable read only memory, EEPROM), magnetic disc storage device, compact disc-ROM (CD-ROM), digital versatile discs (DVDs) or other forms of It may be stored in an optical storage device or a magnetic cassette. Alternatively, it may be stored in a memory composed of a combination of some or all of them. In addition, a plurality of configuration memories may be included.

In addition, the program is a communication network such as the Internet (Internet), Intranet (Intranet), LAN (local area network), WAN (wide area network), or SAN (storage area network), or a communication network composed of a combination thereof. It may be stored in an accessible storage device. Such a storage device may access a device performing an embodiment of the present disclosure through an external port. In addition, a separate storage device on the communication network may access a device performing an embodiment of the present disclosure.

In the above-described specific embodiments of the present disclosure, components included in the disclosure are expressed in the singular or plural according to the presented specific embodiments. However, the singular or plural expression is selected appropriately for the situation presented for convenience of description, and the present disclosure is not limited to the singular or plural constituent elements, and even constituent elements expressed in plural are composed of the singular or in the singular. Even the expressed constituent elements may be composed of pluralities.

Meanwhile, although specific embodiments have been described in the detailed description of the present disclosure, various modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the scope of the present disclosure is limited to the described embodiments and should not be defined, and should be determined by the scope of the claims and equivalents as well as the scope of the claims to be described later.

Claims (20)

In the method of operating an apparatus for up-conversion in a wireless communication system,
A process of receiving a first local oscillator (LO) signal, and
A process of generating a second LO signal based on a latch cross-coupled with the first LO signal, and
The process of receiving an input signal,
Generating an up-conversion frequency signal based on the second LO signal and the input signal,
A process of generating an output signal in which a harmonic component of the up-conversion frequency signal is processed based on a negative transconductance (GM) operating in a sub-threshold region, and
And transmitting the generated output signal.
The method according to claim 1,
The process of generating the second LO signal based on the latch cross-coupled with the first LO signal,
A process of generating a signal whose phase of the first LO signal is corrected based on an active balun, and
A process of generating an in phase/quadrature (I/Q) signal based on the cross-coupled latch, and
A method comprising the step of generating the second LO signal based on an LO buffer based on a limiter connected in a cascade with an inverter-based high gain amplifier.
The method according to claim 2,
The phase-corrected signal is applied with an inductive peaking technique,
The second LO signal includes a signal amplified to a rail-to-rail size with respect to the first LO signal.
The method according to claim 1,
When the input signal is a baseband signal, a process of converting the baseband signal to an intermediate frequency signal and amplifying it,
If the input signal is an intermediate frequency signal, the method further comprising the step of amplifying the intermediate frequency signal.
The method according to claim 1,
The up-conversion frequency is,
A method generated by passing the second LO signal and the input signal through a passive dual balanced frequency mixer.
The method of claim 5,
The process of generating the up-conversion frequency,
And converting the signal passing through the double balanced frequency mixer into a radio frequency (RF) current signal.
The method according to claim 1,
The transistor included in the device is composed of only n-channel metal oxide semiconductor (NMOS) transistors.
The method according to claim 1,
The process of generating the output signal processed with the harmonic component,
The negative transconductance (GM) stage operates at weak inversion, including a process of removing a third harmonic component generated in the GM stage,
The negative GM is implemented as a cross-linked NMOS pair.
The method of claim 8,
A method in which a center frequency is adjusted based on a capacitor bank formed by a capacitor connected in parallel to the negative GM terminal.
The method according to claim 1,
The process of generating the output signal,
With respect to the signal converted to RF current, the process of forming a complex signal by combining in a current mode at the primary coil end of the transformer, and
And generating an RF output signal by configuring the formed complex signal to be magnetically coupled to a single-ended secondary coil.
In the apparatus for up-conversion in a wireless communication system,
At least one transmitting and receiving unit,
And at least one processor functionally coupled to the at least one transmission/reception unit,
The at least one processor,
Receive a first LO (local oscillator) signal,
Generate a second LO signal based on the latch cross-coupled with the first LO signal,
Receive the input signal,
Generate an up-conversion frequency signal based on the second LO signal and the input signal,
Based on a negative transconductance (GM) operating in a sub-threshold region, a harmonic component included in the up-conversion frequency is processed to generate an output signal,
An apparatus for controlling to transmit the generated output signal.
The method of claim 11,
The at least one processor,
Based on an active balun, a phase-corrected signal of the first LO signal is generated, and
Based on the cross-coupled latches, I/Q (in phase/quadrature) signals are generated,
An apparatus for generating the second LO signal based on an inverter-based high gain amplifier based on an LO buffer based on a limiter connected in a cascade.
The method of claim 12,
The phase-corrected signal is applied with an inductive peaking technique,
The second LO signal comprises a signal amplified to a rail-to-rail size with respect to the first LO signal.
The method of claim 11,
The at least one processor,
When the input signal is a baseband signal, the baseband signal is converted into an intermediate frequency signal and amplified,
When the input signal is an intermediate frequency signal, an apparatus for amplifying the intermediate frequency signal.
The method of claim 11,
The up-conversion frequency is generated by passing the second LO signal and the input signal through a passive double balanced frequency mixer.
The method of claim 15,
The at least one processor,
An apparatus for converting a signal passing through the double balanced frequency mixer into a radio frequency (RF) current signal.
The method of claim 11,
The transistor included in the device includes only an n-channel metal oxide semiconductor (NMOS) transistor.
The method of claim 11,
The at least one processor,
By allowing the negative transconductance (GM) stage to operate at weak inversion, the third harmonic component generated in the GM stage is removed, and
The negative GM is a device implemented as a cross-linked NMOS pair.
The method of claim 18,
A device in which a center frequency is adjusted based on a capacitor bank formed by a capacitor connected in parallel to the negative GM terminal.
The method of claim 11,
The at least one processor,
Regarding the signal converted to RF current, it is combined in a current mode at the primary coil end of the transformer to form a complex signal,
An apparatus for generating an RF output signal by configuring the formed complex signal to be magnetically coupled to a single-ended secondary coil.

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