Apparatus for multi carrier aggregation in a software defined radio

• US 10,211,855 B2
• Filed: 01/17/2017
• Issued: 02/19/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/17/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Baringer, Cynthia D., Ahmed, Mohiuddin, Pan, Hsuanyu, Kuan, Yen-Cheng, Li, James Chingwei, Sovero, Emilio A., Talty, Timothy J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Chi Ho A
• Application Number:
  US15/407,679
• Publication Number:
  US 20180205399A1
• Time in Patent Office: 763 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/001 Channel filtering, i.e. selecting a frequency channel within the SDR system multiplexing of multicarrier modulation signals being represented by different frequencies H04L5/06; multiplexing of multicarrier modulation signals H04L5/023
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/2615 using hybrid frequency-time division multiple access [FDMA-TDMA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/001 the frequencies being arranged in component carriers

Abstract

A apparatus for dynamically modifying filter characteristics of a delta-sigma modulator in order to receive and transmit radio frequency signals over a wide frequency range. The system is used for wide bandwidth radio system designed to adapt to various global radio standards and, more particularly, to a cellular radio architecture that employs a combination of a single circulator, programmable band-pass sampling radio frequency (RF) front-end and optimized digital baseband that is capable of supporting all current cellular wireless access protocol frequency bands.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

an antenna for receiving a first RF signal, a second RF signal, a third RF signal and a fourth RF signal;

a first bank of delta sigma analog to digital converters having a first delta sigma analog to digital converter for generating a first digital signal and a second delta signal analog to digital converter for generating a second digital signal;

a second bank of delta sigma analog to digital converters having a third delta sigma analog to digital converter for generating a third digital signal and a fourth delta signal analog to digital converter for generating a fourth digital signal;

a first multiplexer having a first passband and a second passband, wherein the first multiplexer is operative to couple the first RF signal to the first delta sigma analog to digital converter, where the first RF signal has a first center frequency within the first passband, and wherein the first multiplexer is further operative to couple the second RF signal to the second delta sigma analog to digital converter, where the second RF signal has a second center frequency within the second passband;

a second multiplexer having a third passband and a fourth passband, wherein the second multiplexer is operative to couple the third RF signal to the third delta sigma analog to digital converter, where the third RF signal has a third center frequency within the third passband, and wherein the second multiplexer is further operative to couple the fourth RF signal to the fourth delta sigma analog to digital converter, where the fourth RF signal has a fourth center frequency within the fourth passband;

a first switch for coupling the first RF signal and the second RF signal to the first multiplexer and for coupling the third RF signal and the fourth RF signal to the second multiplexer;

a processor for generating a communications data in response to at least one of the first digital signal, the second digital signal, the third digital signal and the fourth digital signal to the processor; and

a second switch for coupling at least one of the first digital signal, the second digital signal, the third digital signal and the fourth digital signal to the processor.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the processor is a digital signal processor.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the communications data is used to control an autonomous vehicle.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the communication data is internet protocol data.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the communications data is voice data.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first bank of delta sigma analog to digital converters are tunable in response to a control signal.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the second bank of delta sigma analog to digital converters are tunable in response to a control signal.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first passband, second passband, third passband and fourth passband form a contiguous frequency band.

9. An apparatus comprising:

an input for receiving a first RF signal and a second RF signal;

a power amplifier for amplifying the first RF signal and the second RF signal;

a source of an LO signal;

a mixer for generating a first IF signal in response to the first RF signal and the LO signal and a second IF signal in response to the second RF signal and the LO signal;

a first delta sigma analog to digital converter to generate a first digital signal in response to the first IF signal;

a second delta sigma analog to digital converter to generate a second digital signal in response to the second IF signal; and

a multiplexer having a first passband and a second passband, wherein the multiplexer is operative to couple the first IF signal to the first delta sigma analog to digital converter, where the first IF signal has a first center frequency within the first passband, and wherein the multiplexer is further operative to couple the second IF signal to the second delta sigma analog to digital converter, where the second IF signal has a second center frequency within the second passband.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 further comprising a processor for decoding the first digital signal and the second digital signal to generate a communication data.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the communication data is used to control an autonomous vehicle.

12. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the communication data is internet protocol data.

13. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the communication data is voice data.

14. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the first delta sigma analog to digital converter is tunable in response to a control signal.

15. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the second delta sigma analog to digital converter is tunable in response to a control signal.

16. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the first passband and the second passband form a contiguous frequency band.