Modifying a sampling frequency in a radio frequency digital to analog converter

• US 10,700,902 B1
• Filed: 03/14/2019
• Issued: 06/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2019
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Hamidovic, Damir, Mayer, Christian, Markovic, Jovan
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Thanh C
• Application Number:
  US16/353,328
• Time in Patent Office: 474 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H03M 1/662 Multiplexed conversion systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/0007 wherein the AD/DA conversion occurs at radiofrequency or intermediate frequency stage
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/122 using digital generation of carrier signals digital function generators G06F1/02, H04L17/10; generating pulses having stepped portions using digital techniques H03K4/026

Abstract

A communication system using an increased sampling rate includes a baseband signal generator and a PLL that generates an LO signal and an inverted LO signal. An interpolator generates an interpolated/delayed data stream from a baseband original data stream, and a cell control circuit generate control signals based on the interpolated data stream and the baseband original data stream. An RFDAC generates an RF output signal from the baseband signal using an increased sampling rate, the LO signal, the inverted LO signal, and the control signals.

Claims

1. A communication system using an increased sampling rate comprising:

a baseband signal generator configured to generate a baseband signal;

a phase locked loop (PLL) configured to generate a local oscillator (LO) signal and an inverted LO signal;

an interpolator configured to generate an interpolated/delayed data stream from a baseband original data stream;

a cell control circuit configured to generate control signals based on the interpolated data stream and the baseband original data stream; and

a radio frequency digital to analog converter (RFDAC) configured to generate a radio frequency (RF) output signal from the baseband signal using an increased sampling rate, the LO signal, the inverted LO signal, and the control signals, wherein the increased sampling rate is higher than a frequency of the LO signal.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the increased sampling rate is twice the frequency of the LO signal.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the increased sampling rate is twice a frequency of a carrier frequency of the RF output signal.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the baseband signal includes one of in-phase components and quadrature components or magnitude.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the increased sampling rate is selected by an RFDAC cell controller of the RFDAC to suppress replicas of the baseband signal for a frequency operating range of a DCO of the PLL and to improve a quantization noise floor by 3 dB.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the RFDAC is configured to update an amplitude of the RF output signal twice per cycle of the LO signal.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the RFDAC is configured to generate interpolated values based on consecutive samples.

8. A method of generating a radio frequency (RF) output signal using an increased sampling rate, the method comprising:

generating a baseband signal by a baseband signal generator;

generating a local oscillator (LO) signal and an inverted LO signal by a phase locked loop (PLL);

generating interpolated values by a radio frequency digital to analog converter (RFDAC) based on consecutive samples of the baseband signal and one or more control signals; and

combining the interpolated values with the consecutive samples to generate the RF output signal.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising generating the one or more control signals based on an original data stream and an interpolated data stream.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the generated interpolated values and the consecutive samples provide a sampling rate of twice a carrier frequency of the RF output signal.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the RFDAC includes a one bit shifter, a register and an adder.