Frequency conversion techniques

• US 20050101267A1
• Filed: 11/07/2003
• Published: 05/12/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Andrew LLC (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Andrew Corporation (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Inventors: Smithson, Antony James
• Granted Patent: US 7,336,940 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/108
• CPC Class Codes: H03C 3/40 using two signal paths the outputs of which have a predetermined phase difference and at least one output being amplitude-modulated

Abstract

A frequency upconverter using mixers operating on one or more signals and inverted versions thereof and a subtractor, such as a balun, for subtractively combining the mixer outputs to produce an upconverted signal.

Claims

1. Apparatus for frequency upconversion of a signal comprising two components, said apparatus comprising:

two pairs of mixers, each pair adapted to act on a respective one of said components and, in each pair, one mixer adapted to upconvert the component assigned to that pair and the other mixer adapted to upconvert an inverted version of that component;

a pair of subtractors, each subtractor adapted to combine by subtraction the outputs of a respective one of said pairs of mixers; and

a combiner adapted to combine the outputs of said subtractors to produce an upconverted version of said signal.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said components are differential signals and said apparatus further comprises an inverter adapted to swap the differential subcomponents of each component to produce said inverted versions of said components.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of said subtractors comprises a balun.

4. Apparatus for frequency upconversion of a signal, said apparatus comprising:

a pair of mixers, one mixer adapted to upconvert said signal and the other mixer adapted to upconvert an inverted version of said signal; and

a subtractor adapted to combine by subtraction the outputs of said mixers to produce an upconverted version of said signal.

5. Apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said signal is a differential signal and said apparatus further comprises an inverter adapted to swap the differential subcomponents of said signal to produce said inverted version of said signal.

6. Apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said subtractor comprises a balun.

7. Apparatus for frequency upconversion of an input signal, said apparatus comprising:

an oscillator adapted to provide a conversion signal, a pair of mixers, one mixer adapted to upconvert said input signal with said conversion signal and the other mixer adapted to upconvert an inverted version of said input signal with said conversion signal; and

a combiner adapted to combine said outputs of said mixers to produce an upconverted version of said signal in which leakage of said conversion signal through said mixers is substantially suppressed.

8. Apparatus for frequency upconversion of a signal, said apparatus comprising:

a pair of mixers, one mixer adapted to upconvert said signal and the other mixer adapted to upconvert an inverted version of said signal; and

a combiner adapted to combine the outputs of said mixers to produce an upconverted version of said signal in which even-order distortion created by said mixers is substantially suppressed.

9. Apparatus for frequency upconversion of a signal, said apparatus comprising:

two processing paths, each path comprising an amplifier and a mixer, wherein the amplifier and mixer in one path are respectively adapted to amplify and upconvert said signal and the amplifier and mixer in the other path are respectively adapted to amplify and upconvert an inverted version of said signal; and

a combiner adapted to combine the outputs of said paths to produce an upconverted version of said signal in which even-order distortion created by said amplifiers is substantially suppressed.

10. A method of frequency upconversion of an input signal comprising two components, said method comprising:

a first upconverting step comprising mixing one of said components with a conversion signal to produce a first upconverted signal and mixing an inverted version of that component with said conversion signal to produce a second upconverted signal;

a second upconverting step comprising mixing the other of said components with a conversion signal to produce a third upconverted signal and mixing an inverted version of that component with said conversion signal to produce a fourth upconverted signal;

a first subtracting step comprising combining subtractively the first and second upconverted signals to produce a first difference signal;

a second subtracting step comprising combining subtractively the third and fourth upconverted signals to produce a second difference signal; and

a combining step comprising combining the first and second difference signals to produce an upconverted version of said input signal.

11. A method of frequency upconversion of an input signal, said method comprising:

an upconverting step comprising mixing said input signal with a conversion signal to produce a first upconverted signal and mixing an inverted version of the input signal with said conversion signal to produce a second upconverted signal; and

a subtracting step comprising combining subtractively the first and second upconverted signals to produce an upconverted version of said input signal.