Local oscillator generation system and generation method thereof

• US 10,447,203 B2
• Filed: 01/03/2018
• Issued: 10/15/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/03/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dialog Semiconductor Korea Incorporated (Renesas Electronics Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Flying Crocodile Incorporated (Plains Energy Services Ltd)
• Inventors: Moon, Jecheol
• Primary Examiner(s): Skibinski, Tomi
• Application Number:
  US15/860,951
• Publication Number:
  US 20180191301A1
• Time in Patent Office: 650 Days
• Field of Search: 327557, 327551-555
• CPC Class Codes: H03B 19/00 Generation of oscillations by non-regenerative frequency multiplication or division of a signal from a separate source transference of modulation from one carrier to another H03D7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H03B 2200/0074 Locking of an oscillator by injecting an input signal directly into the oscillator
• CPC Class Codes: H03B 5/1215 the current source or degeneration circuit being in common to both transistors of the pair, e.g. a cross-coupled long-tailed pair
• CPC Class Codes: H03B 5/1218 the generator being of the balanced type
• CPC Class Codes: H03B 5/1228 the amplifier comprising one or more field effect transistors
• CPC Class Codes: H03B 5/1243 the means comprising voltage variable capacitance diodes
• CPC Class Codes: H03B 5/1296 the feedback circuit comprising a transformer
• CPC Class Codes: H03D 7/1466 Passive mixer arrangements

Abstract

A local oscillator generation system includes a first frequency divider configured to divide frequencies of a first voltage controlled oscillator signal and a second voltage controlled oscillator signal by 2, and output a first divided signal and a second divided signal; a mixer configured to mix the first voltage controlled oscillator signal, the second voltage controlled oscillator signal, the first divided signal, and the second divided signal, and output a first frequency mixed signal and a second frequency mixed signal; a transimpedance amplifier configured to amplify the first frequency mixed signal and the second frequency mixed signal, and output a first amplified signal and a second amplified signal; and a band-pass filter configured to filter the first amplified signal and the second amplified signal, and output a first filtered signal and a second amplified signal.

Claims

1. A local oscillator generation system, comprising:

a first frequency divider configured to receive differential signals including a first voltage controlled oscillator signal and a second voltage controlled oscillator signal outputted by a voltage controlled oscillator, configured to divide frequencies of the first voltage controlled oscillator signal and the second voltage controlled oscillator signal by 2, and configured to output a first divided signal and a second divided signal;

a mixer configured to receive and mix the first voltage controlled oscillator signal, the second voltage controlled oscillator signal, the first divided signal, and the second divided signal, and configured to output a first frequency mixed signal and a second frequency mixed signal;

a transimpedance amplifier configured to receive and amplify the first frequency mixed signal and the second frequency mixed signal, and configured to output a first amplified signal and a second amplified signal; and

a band-pass filter configured to receive and filter the first amplified signal and the second amplified signal, and configured to output a first filtered signal and a second amplified signal.

2. The local oscillator generation system of claim 1, wherein the band-pass filter comprises:

a base band-pass filter circuit configured to filter the first amplified signal and the second amplified signal and configured to output the first filtered signal and the second amplified signal via a first filter output node and a second filter output node; and

a bandwidth adjusting circuit connected to the first filter output node and the second filter output node and configured to narrow a passband of the base band-pass filter circuit.

3. The local oscillator generation system of claim 2, wherein the base band-pass filter circuit comprises:

a resonant frequency setting circuit connected between the first filter output node and the second filter output node to set a resonant frequency;

a first transistor, a drain terminal of the first transistor and a gate terminal of the first transistor respectively connected to the first filter output node and the second filter output node; and

a second transistor, a gate terminal of the second transistor and a drain terminal of the second transistor respectively connected to the first filter output node and the second filter output node.

4. The local oscillator generation system of claim 2, wherein the base band-pass filter circuit further comprises:

a resonant frequency adjusting circuit configured to adjust the resonant frequency.

5. The local oscillator generation system of claim 3, wherein the resonant frequency adjusting circuit comprises a varactor.

6. The local oscillator generation system of claim 2, wherein the bandwidth adjusting circuit is configured to increase a transimpedance component of the base band-pass filter circuit.

7. The local oscillator generation system of claim 2, wherein the bandwidth adjusting circuit comprises:

a third transistor, a gate terminal of the third transistor receiving the first amplified signal, and a drain terminal of the third transistor connected to the first filter output node outputting a signal; and

a fourth transistor, a gate terminal of the fourth transistor receiving the second amplified signal, and a drain terminal of the fourth transistor connected to the second filter output node outputting another signal.

8. The local oscillator generation system of claim 1, wherein the mixer is a passive mixer, and the transimpedance amplifier is an inverter-type transimpedance amplifier.

9. A local oscillator generation method, comprising:

receiving differential signals including a first voltage controlled oscillator signal and a second voltage controlled oscillator signal outputted by a voltage controlled oscillator, dividing frequencies of the first voltage controlled oscillator signal and the second voltage controlled oscillator signal by 2, and outputting a first divided signal and a second divided signal in a frequency dividing step;

receiving and mixing the first voltage controlled oscillator signal, the second voltage controlled oscillator signal, the first divided signal, and the second divided signal, and outputting a first frequency mixed signal and a second frequency mixed signal in a mixing step;

receiving and amplifying the first frequency mixed signal and the second frequency mixed signal, and outputting a first amplified signal and a second amplified signal in an amplifying step; and

receiving and filtering the first amplified signal and the second amplified signal, and outputting a first filtered signal and a second amplified signal in a filtering step.

10. The local oscillator generation method of claim 9, wherein the filtering step comprises:

filtering the first amplified signal and the second amplified signal and outputting differential signals via a first filter output node and a second filter output node in a base filtering step; and

narrowing a passband in the base filtering step and outputting a narrowed result via the first filter output node and the second filter output node in a bandwidth adjusting step.

11. The local oscillator generation method of claim 10, wherein the base filtering step comprises:

setting a resonant frequency in a resonant frequency setting step;

connecting a drain terminal of a first transistor and a gate terminal of the first transistor to the first filter output node and the second filter output node respectively in a first direct current bias step; and

connecting a gate terminal of a second transistor and a drain terminal of the second transistor respectively in a second direct current bias step.

12. The local oscillator generation method of claim 11, wherein the base filtering step further comprises:

adjusting the resonant frequency in a resonant frequency adjusting step.

13. The local oscillator generation method of claim 10, wherein in the bandwidth adjusting step, the passband in the base filtering step is narrowed by increasing a transimpedance component.

14. The local oscillator generation method of claim 10, wherein the bandwidth adjusting step is implemented using a third transistor and a fourth transistor,

a gate terminal of the third transistor receives the first amplified signal, and a drain terminal of the third transistor connected to the first filter output node outputs a signal,

a gate terminal of the fourth transistor receives the second amplified signal, and a drain terminal of the fourth transistor connected to the second filter output node outputs another signal.