Communication device and echo cancellation method thereof

• US 10,644,863 B2
• Filed: 07/12/2018
• Issued: 05/05/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ali SPA (Bessemer Group Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Ali SPA (Bessemer Group Incorporated)
• Inventors: Lin, Wei-Jian, Zeng, Zhi-Ming
• Primary Examiner(s): Thompson, Jr., Otis L
• Application Number:
  US16/034,165
• Publication Number:
  US 20190245673A1
• Time in Patent Office: 663 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/235 combined with adaptive equaliser
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/1461 Suppression of signals in the return path, i.e. bidirectional control circuits

Abstract

A communication device and an echo cancellation method are provided. A digital echo canceller is coupled to a transmitting circuit and a receiving circuit to generate an echo energy indicator according to a digital output signal and a digital input signal. A transceiving front-end circuit receives the analog output signal and generates a hybrid interface signal. A hybrid fine-tune circuit generates a first and a second capacitance calibration signals according to the echo energy indicator. An analog echo cancellation circuit receives the first and second capacitance calibration signals, and includes a first and a second variable capacitors controlled by the first capacitance calibration signal and a third and a fourth variable capacitors controlled by the second capacitance calibration signal. The analog echo cancellation circuit receives the analog output signal and the hybrid interface signal, and generates the analog input signal according to the first and second capacitance calibration signals.

Claims

1. A communication device, adapted to implement full-duplex data transmission, and comprising:

a transmitting circuit, receiving a digital output signal to generate an analog output signal;

a receiving circuit, receiving an analog input signal to generate a digital input signal;

a digital echo canceller, coupled to the transmitting circuit and the receiving circuit, and generating an echo energy indicator according to the digital output signal and the digital input signal;

a transceiving front-end circuit, coupled to the transmitting circuit, and receiving the analog output signal and generating a hybrid interface signal;

a hybrid fine-tune circuit, coupled to the digital echo canceller, and generating a first capacitance calibration signal and a second capacitance calibration signal according to the echo energy indicator; and

an analog echo cancellation circuit, receiving the first capacitance calibration signal and the second capacitance calibration signal, and comprising a first variable capacitor and a second variable capacitor controlled by the first capacitance calibration signal and a third variable capacitor and a fourth variable capacitor controlled by the second capacitance calibration signal, wherein the analog echo cancellation circuit receives the analog output signal and the hybrid interface signal, and generates the analog input signal according to the first capacitance calibration signal and the second capacitance calibration signal.

2. The communication device as claimed in claim 1, wherein a first terminal of the first variable capacitor receives a reference voltage, a second terminal of the first variable capacitor is coupled to a first input terminal of the receiving circuit, a first terminal of the third variable capacitor is coupled to the second terminal of the first variable capacitor, and a second terminal of the third variable capacitor is coupled to a first output terminal of the transmitting circuit.

3. The communication device as claimed in claim 1, wherein a first terminal of the third variable capacitor receives a reference voltage, a second terminal of the second variable capacitor is coupled to a second input terminal of the receiving circuit, a first terminal of the fourth variable capacitor is coupled to the second terminal of the second variable capacitor, and a second terminal of the fourth variable capacitor is coupled to a second output terminal of the transmitting circuit.

4. The communication device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the hybrid fine-tune circuit comprises:

an energy calculation circuit, coupled to the digital echo canceller to obtain an energy statistical value of the echo energy indicator; and

a search and capacitance setting circuit, coupled to the energy calculation circuit, generating the first capacitance calibration signal and the second capacitance calibration signal, and determining a first optimal value of the first capacitance calibration signal and a second optimal value of the second capacitance calibration signal according to the energy statistical value.

5. The communication device as claimed in claim 4, wherein the search and capacitance setting circuit obtains a plurality of energy statistical values corresponding to different capacitance setting states from the energy calculation circuit by adjusting the first capacitance calibration signal and the second capacitance calibration signal, wherein based on a minimum energy statistical value among the energy statistical values, the search and capacitance setting circuit obtains the first optimal value and the second optimal value corresponding to the minimum energy statistical value, and the hybrid fine-tune circuit locks and outputs the first capacitance calibration signal and the second capacitance calibration signal according to the first optimal value and the second optimal value.

6. The communication device as claimed in claim 5, wherein by fixing the first capacitance calibration signal and changing the second capacitance calibration signal, the search and capacitance setting circuit determines the second optimal value of the second capacitance calibration signal,

wherein by fixing the second capacitance calibration signal to the second optimal value and changing the first capacitance calibration signal, the search and capacitance setting circuit determines the first optimal value of the first capacitance calibration signal.

7. The communication device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the transceiving front-end circuit comprises a first impedance unit and a second impedance unit, the first impedance unit is coupled between a first output terminal of the transmitting circuit and a second input terminal of the receiving circuit, and the second impedance unit is coupled between a second output terminal of the transmitting circuit and a first input terminal of the receiving circuit.

8. An echo cancellation method, adapted to a communication device capable of implementing full-duplex data transmission, wherein the communication device comprises a first variable capacitor, a second variable capacitor, a third variable capacitor and a fourth variable capacitor, the echo cancellation method comprising:

converting a digital output signal into an analog output signal and output the analog output signal by a transmitting circuit;

receiving an analog input signal, and convert the analog input signal into a digital input signal for outputting by a receiving circuit;

performing digital echo cancellation according to the digital output signal and the digital input signal to generate an echo energy indicator;

adjusting the first variable capacitor, the second variable capacitor, the third variable capacitor and the fourth variable capacitor according to a first capacitance calibration signal and a second capacitance calibration signal, so as to determine a first optimal value of the first capacitance calibration signal and a second optimal value of the second capacitance calibration signal according to the echo energy indicator; and

locking and outputting the first capacitance calibration signal and the second capacitance calibration signal according to the first optimal value and the second optimal value.

9. The echo cancellation method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the step of adjusting the first variable capacitor, the second variable capacitor, the third variable capacitor and the fourth variable capacitor according to a first capacitance calibration signal and a second capacitance calibration signal, so as to determine the first optimal value of the first capacitance calibration signal and the second optimal value of the second capacitance calibration signal according to the echo energy indicator comprises:

performing a statistical operation to the echo energy indicator to obtain an energy statistical value, so as to determine the first optimal value of the first capacitance calibration signal and the second optimal value of the second capacitance calibration signal according to the energy statistical value.

10. The echo cancellation method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the step of performing the statistical operation to the echo energy indicator to obtain the energy statistical value, so as to determine the first optimal value of the first capacitance calibration signal and the second optimal value of the second capacitance calibration signal according to the energy statistical value comprises:

obtaining a plurality of energy statistical values corresponding to different capacitance setting states from the energy calculation circuit by adjusting the first capacitance calibration signal and the second capacitance calibration signal; and

based on a minimum energy statistical value among the energy statistical values, obtaining the first optimal value and the second optimal value corresponding to the minimum energy statistical value.

11. The echo cancellation method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the second optimal value of the second capacitance calibration signal is determined by fixing the first capacitance calibration signal and changing the second capacitance calibration signal, and the first optimal value of the first capacitance calibration signal is determined by fixing the second capacitance calibration signal to the second optimal value and changing the first capacitance calibration signal.