KR20210074976A - High sensitivity uwb impulse radar and radio receiver - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a high-sensitivity impulse radar and radio transceiver whose reception sensitivity is greatly improved. More specifically, the present invention relates to a high-sensitivity UWB impulse radar and radio transceiver which is actually a synchronization-type receiver, has a high reception gain, is strong against noise or the like, and has an excellent reception sensitivity. In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the high-sensitivity UWB impulse radar and radio transceiver comprises: a transmission/reception unit which includes a voltage control oscillator which outputs an LO signal, generates an impulse signal based on the LO signal from the voltage control oscillator, and transmits the impulse signal; a reception unit which includes a mixer which receives the impulse signal returning from outside, converts the received impulse signal into an envelope signal in a base band, and outputs the envelope signal; and an LO signal provision unit which provides the LO signal from the voltage control oscillator of the transmission unit to the mixer of the reception unit. The mixer of the reception unit mixes the received impulse signal with the Lo signal, and outputs the envelope signal.

Description

HIGH SENSITIVITY UWB IMPULSE RADAR AND RADIO RECEIVER

The present invention relates to a high-sensitivity impulse radar and radio transceiver with greatly improved receiver sensitivity, and more particularly, to a high-sensitivity UWB impulse radar and radio transceiver that is a synchronous receiver in fact and has a high reception gain and is strong against noise and has excellent reception sensitivity. is about

In the case of a UWB impulse radar or radio transceiver, a very short impulse signal with a width of several ns is transmitted and received, and the waveform of the impulse signal must be sampled at a very high speed to obtain meaningful data. That is, high-speed sampling of several GHz or higher is required.

For high-speed sampling, an equivalent time sampling method, which is equivalent high-speed sampling, is used. In the case of a waveform of a received impulse signal to be subjected to high-speed sampling, a signal including a carrier component or an envelope signal from which a carrier component is removed is used.

In the case of a receiver for generating an envelope signal, like the conventional self-mixing method, there is a structure in which a received signal is multiplied by itself in a mixer to create an envelope signal from which the carrier component is removed, but in this case The gain of the receiver is small.

In the case of the self-mixing receiver structure, the output signal is very small for very small received power due to the characteristic that the size of the receiver output is proportional to the square of the input power by self-multiplication, which leads to a decrease in sensitivity. In particular, in radar or radio, a signal reflected from a distant target or a signal received from a far-off transmitter is very small in size, making it difficult to obtain an output signal from the receiver, resulting in reduced reception sensitivity and reduced detection range. occurs

1 is an example of a self-mixing type UWB radar and radio impulse transceiver.

The impulse transceiver of the self-mixing structure shown in FIG. 1 does not require a local oscillator (LO) inside the receiver, is strong against noise, and has a simple structure and is easy to implement.

On the other hand, in the case of a transmitter, an LO signal from an oscillator or a frequency synthesizer is switched to generate an impulse signal with a short pulse width of ns class, amplified, and then transmitted.

Then, the reflected small impulse signal passes through a low-noise amplifier (LNA) and an RF amplifier (RF AMP) and passes through a self-mixing envelope detector (ENV) that multiplies the received signal by itself in the mixer. do. Through this, it is possible to obtain an envelope signal from which the carrier component is removed from the impulse signal.

At this time, the amplitude of the envelope signal is proportional to the square of the amplitude of the input impulse signal. When the magnitude of the received impulse signal is very small, the magnitude of the output envelope signal becomes smaller due to the square characteristic and it is difficult to detect. That is, in the case of radar, in the case of a signal reflected from a distant object, the received signal is so small that it is impossible to detect it, so it has a disadvantage that the reception sensitivity is lowered and the detection distance is shortened.

Meanwhile, although not described here, other impulse transceiver structures have a problem in that it is difficult to obtain high gain and sensitivity in the receiver due to DC offset or circuit problems.

An embodiment of the present invention provides a high-sensitivity UWB impulse radar and radio transceiver that can solve the above-described problem of sensitivity degradation.

In addition, an embodiment of the present invention provides a high-sensitivity UWB impulse radar and radio transceiver capable of solving the problems of deterioration in reception sensitivity and reduction in detection distance.

A high-sensitivity UWB impulse radar and radio transceiver according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a voltage-controlled oscillator for outputting an LO signal, and generates an impulse signal based on the LO signal from the voltage-controlled oscillator, and the impulse signal a transmitter for transmitting a receiving unit including a mixer for receiving the impulse signal returned from the outside, converting the received impulse signal into a baseband envelope signal and outputting; and an LO signal providing unit providing the LO signal from the voltage-controlled oscillator of the transmitting unit to the mixer of the receiving unit, wherein the mixer of the receiving unit mixes the received impulse signal with the LO signal Outputs an envelope signal. According to the high-sensitivity UWB impulse radar and radio transceiver according to the embodiment of the present invention, since the LO signal generated by the transmitter is used as the LO signal in the receiver, it becomes a coherent receiver in effect, and the reception gain is also the LO provided to the mixer Since the signal is multiplied by a received signal having a relatively small magnitude, the gain is maintained even if the received signal is small, so that a sufficient receiver output signal can be obtained.

A high-sensitivity UWB impulse radar and radio transceiver according to another embodiment of the present invention includes a voltage-controlled oscillator for outputting an LO signal, and generates an impulse signal based on the LO signal from the voltage-controlled oscillator, and the impulse signal a transmitter for transmitting a receiver including a mixer for receiving the impulse signal returning from the outside, converting the received impulse signal into a baseband I envelope signal and a Q envelope signal; and an IQ LO generator that receives the LO signal from the voltage-controlled oscillator of the transmitter and generates an I LO signal and a Q LO signal, and provides the generated I LO signal and Q LO signal to the mixer of the receiver and an LO signal providing unit, wherein the mixer of the receiving unit mixes the received impulse signal and the I LO signal to output the I envelope signal, and mixes the received impulse signal and the Q LO signal. to output the Q envelope signal. According to the high-sensitivity UWB impulse radar and radio transceiver according to another embodiment of the present invention, since the LO signal generated by the transmitter is used as the LO signal in the receiver, it becomes a coherent receiver in effect, and the reception gain is also the LO provided to the mixer The signal is multiplied by a relatively small received signal, so that the gain is maintained even if the received signal is small, so that a sufficient receiver output signal can be obtained. have.

When the high-sensitivity UWB impulse radar and radio transceiver according to the embodiment of the present invention is used, the LO signal generated by the transmitter is used as the LO signal in the receiver, so that it becomes a coherent receiver in effect, and the reception gain is also the LO signal provided to the mixer is multiplied by a relatively small received signal, so that the gain is maintained even if the received signal is small, so that a sufficient receiver output signal can be obtained. That is, in the case of radar, even a small received signal reflected from a distant target or object has a significant gain, so that it can be detected as a sufficient receiver output signal.

In addition, in high-sensitivity UWB impulse radar and radio transceivers, sensitivity degradation and detection due to reduction in small-signal gain and DC offset problems occurring in structures using self-mixing or direct sampling methods The problem of distance degradation can be solved. That is, the receiver gain is increased compared to the existing structure, so that it is possible to detect a small received signal, and accordingly, there is an advantage in that reception sensitivity is improved and long-range detection is possible.

In addition, I LO and Q LO, which are quadrature LO signals, which are 90 degrees out of phase with the LO signal in the receiver's mixer, are made separately and multiplied by the mixer to obtain I and Q signals from the baseband to obtain the signal amplitude and phase information at the same time. can When taken with the quadrature structure of I and Q, both magnitude and phase information can be obtained from the envelope of the received signal. useful.

In addition, in the case of an LO oscillator or frequency synthesizer commonly used in the transmitter and receiver, the time from transmission to reception is very short (tens of ns), which makes it easy to design a variable oscillator that is hardly affected by phase noise or frequency drift. There are advantages to using (VCO).

1 is an example of a self-mixing type UWB radar and radio impulse transceiver.
2 is a block diagram of a high-sensitivity UWB impulse radar and a radio transceiver according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 shows the difference in reception gain and detection distance between the transceiver of the self-mixing method shown in FIG. 1 and the transceiver of the LO mixing method according to the embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. graphs that show
4 is a block diagram of a high-sensitivity UWB impulse radar and a radio transceiver according to another embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS [0012] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS [0010] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which show by way of illustration specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. These embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the present invention. It should be understood that the various embodiments of the present invention are different but need not be mutually exclusive.

High-sensitivity UWB impulse radar and radio transceiver according to various embodiments of the present invention to be described below, in order to solve the conventional problem of sensitivity degradation, LO signals such as a variable oscillator or a frequency synthesizer used in the transmitter as it is in the mixer of the receiver It has a structure to increase the reception gain by providing

In particular, in the case of radar, since the LO signal generated by the transmitter is used as it is as the LO signal to the receiver's mixer, it becomes a coherent receiver and the reception gain is also relatively larger than the received impulse signal. Since it is multiplied by the impulse signal, the gain is maintained even if the magnitude of the received impulse signal is small, so that a sufficient receiver output signal can be obtained. That is, in the case of radar, even a small received signal reflected from a distant target or object has a significant gain, so that it can be detected by obtaining a sufficient receiver output signal.

In addition, the high-sensitivity UWB impulse radar and radio transceiver according to various embodiments of the present invention is a basis by multiplying the LO signal in the mixer of the receiver by separately making I LO and Q LO, which are quadrature LO signals out of phase by 90 degrees, to the mixer. There is also an advantage that phase information can be obtained at the same time as the signal magnitude by obtaining the I and Q signals in the band.

2 is a block diagram of a high-sensitivity UWB impulse radar and a radio transceiver according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The high-sensitivity UWB impulse radar and radio transceiver according to an embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 2 can solve the above-mentioned problems of deterioration of reception sensitivity and deterioration of detection range.

Referring to FIG. 2 , a high-sensitivity UWB impulse radar and radio transceiver according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a transmitter 210 , an LO signal provider 230 , and a receiver 250 .

The transmitter 210 generates an impulse signal and provides it to an antenna.

The transmitter 210 includes a voltage-controlled oscillator 211 that outputs an LO signal.

The transmitter 210 may generate an impulse signal by processing the LO signal output from the voltage controlled oscillator 211 .

For example, the transmitter 210 may generate a short impulse signal of several ns by switching the LO signal output from the voltage controlled oscillator 211 . To this end, the transmitter 210 may include a first switch SW1 for switching the LO signal from the voltage controlled oscillator 211 .

The first switch SW1 may be controlled for switching by the timing circuit unit 270 . The timing circuit unit 270 may provide a switching signal for turning on the first switch SW1 in the first time period T1 .

The transmitter 210 may further include a first amplifier 213 disposed between the voltage controlled oscillator 211 and the first switch SW1 to amplify the LO signal from the voltage controlled oscillator 211 .

The transmitter 210 may further include a second amplifier 215 disposed between the first switch SW1 and an antenna (not shown) to amplify the impulse signal output from the first switch SW1 .

The LO signal providing unit 230 provides the LO signal from the transmitting unit 210 to the receiving unit 250 . Specifically, the LO signal providing unit 230 provides the LO signal output from the voltage controlled oscillator 211 of the transmitting unit 210 to the mixer 253 of the receiving unit 250 .

The LO signal providing unit 230 may include a second switch SW2 for switching the LO signal output from the voltage controlled oscillator 211 .

The second switch SW2 may be controlled for switching by the timing circuit unit 270 . The timing circuit unit 270 may provide a switching signal for turning on the second switch SW2 in a second time period T2 different from the first time period T1 .

The LO signal providing unit 230 may further include a first amplifier 233 disposed between the voltage controlled oscillator 211 and the second switch SW2 to amplify the LO signal from the voltage controlled oscillator 211 . .

The LO signal providing unit 230 may further include a second amplifier 215 disposed between the second switch SW2 and the mixer 253 to amplify the LO signal output from the second switch SW2 .

The receiver 250 receives an impulse signal through an antenna (not shown), down-converts the received impulse signal, and outputs an envelope of the impulse signal.

The receiver 250 includes a mixer 253 for down-converting the received impulse signal. The mixer 253 receives the impulse signal from the antenna (not shown) and the LO signal from the LO signal providing unit 230 to output a base band signal (envelope signal). In this case, since the LO signal having a relatively large magnitude and the received impulse signal having a small magnitude are multiplied, a large gain can be obtained compared to the self-mixing method shown in FIG. A signal can be output, and detection is possible from the output envelope signal.

The receiver 250 is disposed between the antenna (not shown) and the mixer 253 to low-noise amplify the impulse signal received from the antenna (not shown) and provides the low-noise amplifier 251 to the mixer 253. can

The receiver 250 may include an amplifier 255 amplifying the envelope signal output from the mixer 253 .

The receiver 250 may include a low-pass filter 257 for low-pass filtering the amplified envelope signal output from the amplifier 255 .

The receiver 250 may include an analog-to-digital converter 259 that converts the filtered envelope signal output from the low-pass filter 257 into a digital signal.

FIG. 3 shows the difference in reception gain and detection distance between the transceiver of the self-mixing method shown in FIG. 1 and the transceiver of the LO mixing method according to the embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. graphs that show

Referring to the left graph of FIG. 3 , the input reception of the transceiver of the self-mixing method shown in FIG. 1 and the transceiver of the LO mixing method according to an embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 2 is received. It shows the magnitude of the receiver output signal compared to the power. Here, at a small receive power (Rx Pin) below a specific receive power (-44dBm in FIG. 3), the transceiver of the LO mixing method according to the embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 2 is shown in FIG. It can be seen that the output and gain of the receiver larger than the transceiver of the self-mixing method can be obtained. This means that, as shown in the graph on the right of FIG. 3 , the gain increases at a long distance, so that the output power of the receiver increases and detection becomes possible.

4 is a block diagram of a high-sensitivity UWB impulse radar and a radio transceiver according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 4 , a high-sensitivity UWB impulse radar and radio transceiver according to another embodiment of the present invention includes a transmitter 210 , an LO signal provider 230 ′, and a receiver 250 ′. Here, since the transmitter 210 is the same as the transmitter 210 of the high-sensitivity UWB impulse radar and radio transceiver according to the embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 2 , the detailed description thereof is replaced with the above.

The LO signal providing unit 230' receives the LO signal from the transmitter 210, generates an I LO signal (I LO) and a Q LO signal (Q LO) from the received LO signal, and provides it to the receiver 250' do. The high-sensitivity UWB impulse radar and radio transceiver according to the embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 2 switches and amplifies the LO signal received from the transmitter 210 to provide one LO signal to the receiver 250, but FIG. The high-sensitivity UWB impulse radar and radio transceiver according to another embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 2 switches, amplifies, and generates an IQ signal by switching the LO signal received from the transmitter 210 to receive an I LO signal and two Q LO signals. (250').

The LO signal providing unit 230 ′ may include a second switch SW2 for switching the LO signal output from the voltage controlled oscillator 211 .

The second switch SW2 may be controlled for switching by the timing circuit unit 270 . The timing circuit unit 270 may provide a switching signal for turning on the second switch SW2 in a second time period T2 different from the first time period T1 .

The LO signal providing unit 230 ′ may further include a first amplifier 233 disposed between the voltage controlled oscillator 211 and the second switch SW2 to amplify the LO signal from the voltage controlled oscillator 211 . have.

The LO signal providing unit 230 ′ is disposed between the second switch SW2 and the mixers 253I and 253Q to receive the LO signal output from the second switch SW2 to generate an I LO signal and a Q LO signal. It may further include an IQ LO generator 237 .

The receiver 250' receives an impulse signal through an antenna (not shown), down-converts the received impulse signal, and outputs an I envelope signal and a Q envelope signal of the impulse signal.

The receiver 250' includes mixers 253I and 253Q for down-converting the received impulse signal to generate an I envelope signal and a Q envelope signal. The mixers 253I and 253Q receive an impulse signal from the antenna (not shown) and an I LO signal from the LO signal providing unit 230' to output a baseband I signal (I envelope signal). receiving the impulse signal from the first mixer 253I and the antenna (not shown) and the Q LO signal from the LO signal providing unit 230' to generate a baseband Q signal (Q envelope signal) It may include a second mixer 253Q that outputs.

Since the receiving unit 250' multiplies the relatively large I LO signal or Q LO signal and the received impulse signal having a small size, compared to the self-mixing method shown in FIG. Since a gain can be obtained, an envelope signal of sufficient size can be output, and detection is possible from the output envelope signal. In addition, there is an advantage that both magnitude and phase information can be obtained with the output of the I and Q envelope signals.

The receiver 250' is disposed between the antenna (not shown) and the mixers 253I and 253Q to amplify the impulse signal received from the antenna (not shown) to low noise and provide the low noise amplifier 251 to the mixers 253I and 253Q. LNA) may be included.

The receiver 250' may include amplifiers 255I and 255Q for amplifying the I and Q envelope signals output from the mixers 253I and 253Q.

The receiver 250' may include low-pass filters 257I and 257Q for low-pass filtering the amplified I and Q envelope signals output from the amplifiers 255I and 255Q.

The receiver 250' may include analog-to-digital converters 259I and 259Q for converting the filtered I and Q envelope signals output from the low-pass filters 257I and 257Q into digital signals. Another embodiment of the present invention A high-sensitivity UWB impulse radar and radio transceiver according to another embodiment of the present invention may also have graph characteristics similar to those of FIG. 3 . That is, the transceiver of the LO mixing method according to another embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 4 at a small receive power (Rx Pin) below a specific receive power (-44dBm in FIG. 3) is shown in FIG. It is possible to obtain a greater output and gain of the receiver than the transceiver of the self-mixing method. This means that, as shown in the graph on the right of FIG. 3 , the gain increases at a long distance, so that the output power of the receiver increases and detection becomes possible.

Features, structures, effects, etc. described in the above embodiments are included in at least one embodiment of the present invention, and are not necessarily limited to only one embodiment. Furthermore, features, structures, effects, etc. illustrated in each embodiment can be combined or modified with respect to other embodiments by those of ordinary skill in the art to which the embodiments belong. Accordingly, the contents related to such combinations and modifications should be interpreted as being included in the scope of the present invention.

In addition, although the embodiment has been mainly described in the above, this is only an example and does not limit the present invention, and those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains in the range that does not deviate from the essential characteristics of the present embodiment. It will be appreciated that various modifications and applications not illustrated are possible. For example, each component specifically shown in the embodiment can be implemented by deformation|transformation. And differences related to such modifications and applications should be construed as being included in the scope of the present invention defined in the appended claims.

Claims (10)

a transmitter comprising a voltage-controlled oscillator outputting an LO signal, generating an impulse signal based on the LO signal from the voltage-controlled oscillator, and transmitting the impulse signal;
a receiving unit including a mixer for receiving the impulse signal returning from the outside, converting the received impulse signal into a baseband envelope signal and outputting; and
Including; LO signal providing unit for providing the LO signal from the voltage-controlled oscillator of the transmitter to the mixer of the receiver;
The mixer of the receiving unit outputs the envelope signal by mixing the received impulse signal and the LO signal, a high-sensitivity UWB impulse radar and radio transceiver.
The method of claim 1,
The transmitter includes a first switch for outputting the impulse signal by switching the LO signal from the voltage-controlled oscillator during a first time period,
The LO signal providing unit includes a second switch for switching the LO signal from the voltage-controlled oscillator during a second time period different from the first time period and providing it to the mixer.
3. The method of claim 2,
A high-sensitivity UWB impulse radar and radio transceiver, further comprising a timing circuit for controlling switching timing of the first switch and the second switch.
The method of claim 2, wherein the transmitter comprises:
a first amplifier disposed between the voltage-controlled oscillator and the first switch to amplify the LO signal; and
a second amplifier amplifying the impulse signal output from the first switch;
Further comprising, a high-sensitivity UWB impulse radar and radio transceiver.
The method of claim 2, wherein the receiving unit,
a low-noise amplifier for low-noise amplifying the received impulse signal and providing it to the mixer;
an amplifier for amplifying the envelope signal output from the mixer;
a low-pass filter for low-pass filtering the envelope signal amplified by the amplifier; and
an analog-to-digital converter for converting the envelope signal filtered by the low-pass filter into a digital signal;
Including, high-sensitivity UWB impulse radar and radio transceiver.
a transmitter comprising a voltage-controlled oscillator outputting an LO signal, generating an impulse signal based on the LO signal from the voltage-controlled oscillator, and transmitting the impulse signal;
a receiving unit including a mixer for receiving the impulse signal returned from the outside, converting the received impulse signal into a baseband I envelope signal and a Q envelope signal, and outputting the converted signal; and
and an IQ LO generator that receives the LO signal from the voltage-controlled oscillator of the transmitter and generates an I LO signal and a Q LO signal, and provides the generated I LO signal and Q LO signal to the mixer of the receiver LO signal providing unit; including,
The mixer of the receiver outputs the I envelope signal by mixing the received impulse signal and the I LO signal, and outputs the Q envelope signal by mixing the received impulse signal and the Q LO signal. UWB impulse radar and radio transceiver.
7. The method of claim 6,
The transmitter includes a first switch for outputting the impulse signal by switching the LO signal from the voltage-controlled oscillator during a first time period,
The LO signal providing unit includes a second switch configured to provide the IQ LO generator by switching the LO signal from the voltage-controlled oscillator during a second time period different from the first time period, a high-sensitivity UWB impulse radar and radio transceiver.
8. The method of claim 7,
A high-sensitivity UWB impulse radar and radio transceiver, further comprising a timing circuit for controlling switching timing of the first switch and the second switch.
The method of claim 7, wherein the transmitter comprises:
a first amplifier disposed between the voltage-controlled oscillator and the first switch to amplify the LO signal; and
a second amplifier amplifying the impulse signal output from the first switch;
Further comprising, a high-sensitivity UWB impulse radar and radio transceiver.
The method of claim 7, wherein the receiving unit,
a low-noise amplifier for low-noise amplifying the received impulse signal and providing it to the mixer;
an amplifier for amplifying the I envelope signal and the Q envelope signal output from the mixer;
a low-pass filter for low-pass filtering the I envelope signal and the Q envelope signal amplified by the amplifier; and
an analog-to-digital converter for converting the I envelope signal and the Q envelope signal filtered by the low-pass filter into a digital signal;
Including, high-sensitivity UWB impulse radar and radio transceiver.

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