Apparatus and method for calibrating local oscillation frequency in wireless communications

• US 20020123316A1
• Filed: 03/12/2001
• Published: 09/05/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 01/09/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Sih, Gilbert C., Challa, Raghu
• Granted Patent: US 6,704,555 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/245.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2027/0016 Stabilisation of local oscillators
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2027/0057 quadrature phase
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2027/0087 Out-of-band signals, (e.g. pilots)
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/0014 Carrier regulation of chaotic carriers H04L27/001; for multicarrier receivers H04L27/2657

Abstract

According to a disclosed embodiment, a receiver comprising a digital rotator in combination with a frequency error discriminator in a digital automatic frequency control loop is used to arrive at accurate digital values used to calibrate a local oscillation frequency. A frequency error in the oscillation frequency of a local frequency generation loop causes a change in the baseband input signal frequency. The change in the baseband input signal frequency related to the frequency error in the local frequency generation loop can be detected as a phase rotation by the frequency error discriminator. By using the digital automatic frequency control loop, the frequency error introduced by the local frequency generation is determined with accuracy. The frequency error and corresponding control bits are entered into a calibration table. The calibration table may be used to adjust the local oscillation frequency for temperature changes, pilot frequency searching, and quick paging.

Claims

1. A receiver comprising a digital automatic frequency control loop configured to receive a baseband input signal having a first frequency, said digital automatic frequency control loop comprising a frequency error discriminator, said frequency error discriminator being configured to produce an error measure, said digital automatic frequency control loop further comprising:

a digital rotator configured to receive said baseband input signal having said first frequency, said digital rotator providing a rotated digital baseband output to said frequency error discriminator for producing said error measure.

2. The receiver of claim 1 wherein said frequency error discriminator further comprises a pilot demodulation module providing a sequence of pilot symbols to a phase rotation measure module, said phase rotation measure module computing a phase rotation between a current pilot symbol and a previous pilot symbol in said sequence of pilot symbols, said phase rotation determining said error measure.

3. The receiver of claim 1 further comprising a gain β

filter having an input for receiving said error measure, said gain β

filter having an output coupled to said digital rotator.

4. The receiver of claim 1 further comprising a local frequency generation loop, said local frequency generation loop comprising an oscillator for oscillating at a second frequency.

5. The receiver of claim 4 wherein said local frequency generation loop further comprises a gain α

filter coupled to an output of said frequency error discriminator, said gain α

filter having an output coupled to a control register.

6. The receiver of claim 5 wherein said local frequency generation loop comprises a digital to analog converter having an input coupled to an output of said control register, said digital to analog converter having an output coupled to said oscillator, said output of said digital to analog converter causing said oscillator to oscillate at said second frequency.

7. The receiver of claim 6 wherein said oscillator is a voltage controlled oscillator.

8. The receiver of claim 6 wherein said local frequency generation loop further comprises an RC filter network having an input coupled to said output of said digital to analog converter, said RC filter network having an output connected to said oscillator, said output of said RC filter network setting said oscillator to oscillate at said second frequency.

9. The receiver of claim 1 further comprising a switch, said switch being configured to open said local frequency generation loop when said digital automatic frequency control loop is closed and to open said digital automatic frequency control loop when said local frequency generation loop is closed.

10. A method in a digital automatic frequency control loop comprising a digital rotator in combination with a frequency error discriminator, said method comprising steps of:

receiving a digital baseband input signal having a first frequency;

supplying a rotated digital baseband output to said frequency error discriminator;

producing an error measure for causing an adjustment in said first frequency.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising a step of causing an oscillator in a local frequency generation loop to oscillate at a second frequency.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising utilizing a plurality of control bits in a control register in said local frequency generation loop to cause said oscillator to oscillate at said second frequency.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein said adjustment corresponds to a frequency error in said second frequency of said oscillator.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising a step of entering into a calibration table said frequency error corresponding to said plurality of control bits.

15. The method of claim 10 further comprising a step of feeding back said error measure to said digital rotator.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein said step of feeding back comprises providing said error measure to a gain β

filter having an output coupled to said digital rotator.

17. The method of claim 10 wherein said digital baseband input signal having said first frequency comprises a sequence of symbols, each symbol of said sequence of symbols having an in-phase component and a quadrature component.

18. The method of claim 12 wherein said utilizing step comprises digital to analog conversion of said plurality of control bits to cause said oscillator to oscillate at said second frequency.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein said oscillator is a voltage controlled oscillator, and said digital to analog converter outputs an analog control voltage to cause said oscillator to oscillate at said second frequency.

20. A receiver comprising a digital automatic frequency control loop and a local frequency generation loop, said digital automatic frequency control loop receiving a baseband input signal having a first frequency and said local frequency generation loop including an oscillator for oscillating at a second frequency, said digital automatic frequency control loop comprising:

a digital rotator configured to receive said baseband input signal having said first frequency, said digital rotator providing a rotated digital baseband output to a frequency error discriminator for producing an error measure, said error measure causing an adjustment in said first frequency, said adjustment corresponding to a frequency error in said second frequency.

21. The receiver of claim 20 wherein said frequency error discriminator further comprises a pilot demodulation module providing a sequence of pilot symbols to a phase rotation measure module, said phase rotation measure module computing a phase rotation between a current pilot symbol and a previous pilot symbol in said sequence of pilot symbols, said phase rotation determining said error measure.

22. The receiver of claim 20 further comprising a gain β

filter having an input for receiving said error measure, said gain β

filter having an output coupled to said digital rotator.

23. The receiver of claim 20 wherein said local frequency generation loop comprises a gain α

filter coupled to an output of said frequency error discriminator, said gain α

filter having an output coupled to a control register.

24. The receiver of claim 20 wherein said local frequency generation loop comprises a digital to analog converter having an input coupled to an output of a control register, said digital to analog converter having an output coupled to said oscillator, said output of said digital to analog converter causing said oscillator to oscillate at said second frequency.

25. The receiver of claim 20 further comprising a switch, said switch being configured to open said local frequency generation loop when said digital automatic frequency control loop is closed and to open said digital automatic frequency control loop when said local frequency generation loop is closed.