Apparatus, system, and method for down converting and up converting electromagnetic signals

• US 20050227639A1
• Filed: 10/12/2004
• Published: 10/13/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ParkerVision, Inc.
• Original Assignee: ParkerVision, Inc.
• Inventors: Cook, Robert W., Rawlins, Gregory S., Bultman, Michael J., Sorrells, David F., Moses, Charley D. Jr., Looke, Richard C., Rawlins, Michael W.
• Granted Patent: US 7,107,028 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/118
• CPC Class Codes: H03D 7/00 Transference of modulation from one carrier to another, e.g. frequency-changing H03D9/00, H03D11/00 take precedence; dielectric amplifiers, magnetic amplifiers, parametric amplifiers used as a frequency-changers H03F
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/16 Circuits

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatuses for down-converting and up-converting an electromagnetic signal. In embodiments, the invention operates by receiving an electromagnetic signal and recursively operating on approximate half cycles of a carrier signal. The recursive operations can be performed at a sub-harmonic rate of the carrier signal. The invention accumulates the results of the recursive operations and uses the accumulated results to form a down-converted signal. In embodiments, up-conversion is accomplished by controlling a switch with an oscillating signal, the frequency of the oscillating signal being selected as a sub-harmonic of the desired output frequency. When the invention is being used in the frequency modulation or phase modulation implementations, the oscillating signal is modulated by an information signal before it causes the switch to gate a bias signal. The output of the switch is filtered, and the desired harmonic is output.

Claims

1-69. -69. (canceled)

70. An apparatus for up-converting an electromagnetic signal, comprising:

a first and second amplifier each having a first, second and third port; and

a first, second, third and fourth switching device each having a first, second and third port, wherein

the second ports of the first and second amplifiers are electrically coupled together,

the third port of the first amplifier is electrically coupled to the first ports of the first and second switching devices,

the third port of the second amplifier is electrically coupled to the first ports of the third and fourth switching devices,

the second ports of the first and fourth switching devices are electrically coupled together, and

the second ports of the second and third switching devices are electrically coupled together, and wherein

a first switching signal is applied to the third ports of the first and third switching devices, and

a second switching signal is applied to the third ports of the second and fourth switching devices.

71. The apparatus of claim 70, further comprising:

a first capacitor having a first and second port, wherein the first port of the first capacitor is electrically coupled to the third port of the first amplifier and the second port of the first capacitor is electrically coupled to a first bias; and

a second capacitor having a first and second port, wherein the first port of the second capacitor is electrically coupled to the third port of the second amplifier and the second port of the second capacitor is electrically coupled to a second bias.

72. The apparatus of claim 71, wherein the first and second bias is an AC ground.

73. The apparatus of claim 70, wherein the first, second, third, and fourth switching devices are transistors.

74. The apparatus of claim 70, wherein the first, second, third, and fourth switching devices are FETs.

75. The apparatus of claim 70, wherein the first, second, third, and fourth switching devices are JFETs.

76. The apparatus of claim 70, wherein the first, second, third, and fourth switching devices are MOSFETs.

91. The apparatus of claim 70, wherein an input information signal is applied to the first port of the first amplifier, wherein an inverted version of the input information signal is applied to the first port of the second amplifier.

92. The apparatus of claim 91, wherein the second ports of the first and fourth switching devices are electrically coupled to a first node, and the second ports of the second and third switching devices are electrically coupled to a second node, wherein an output signal is produced differentially between the first node and second node.

93. The apparatus of claim 92, wherein the output signal is a harmonically rich signal.

94. The apparatus of claim 93, further comprising a band pass filter that filters said output signal and outputs a signal that includes a selected frequency for transmission.

77-90. -90. (canceled)

95. A method for up-converting an information signal, comprising:

amplifying a non-inverted information signal;

amplifying an inverted information signal;

receiving the amplified non-inverted information signal at a first port of a first switching device and at a first port of a second switching device;

receiving the amplified inverted information signal at a first port of a third switching device and at a first port of a fourth switching device;

gating the first and third switching devices according to a first control signal; and

gating the second and fourth switching devices according to a first control signal;

wherein second ports of the first and fourth switching devices are electrically coupled to a first node, and second ports of the second and third switching devices are electrically coupled to a second node, wherein an up-converted signal is produced differentially between the first node and second node.

96. The method of claim 95, further comprising:

receiving the first control signal having a first train of pulses; and

receiving the second control signal having a second train of pulses.

97. The method of claim 96, wherein pulses of the first train of pulses do not overlap with pulses of the second train of pulses.

98. The method of claim 95, further comprising:

generating the first control signal; and

generating the second control signal;

wherein the first control signal includes a first train of pulses and the second control signal includes a second train of pulses, wherein pulses of the first train of pulses do not overlap with pulses of the second train of pulses.

99. The method of claim 95, wherein the up-converted signal is a harmonically rich signal, further comprising:

filtering the up-converted signal to remove at least one harmonic frequency, whereby the filtered up-converted signal includes a selected frequency.

100. The method of claim 99, further comprising:

transmitting the filtered up-converted signal.

101. The method of claim 95, further comprising:

storing energy from the amplified non-inverted information signal in a first energy storage device; and

storing energy from the amplified inverted information signal in a second energy storage device.

102. A transmitter, comprising:

a first amplifier that receives a non-inverted information signal and outputs an amplified non-inverted information signal;

a second amplifier that receives an inverted information signal and outputs an amplified inverted information signal;

first and second switching devices that each receive said amplified non-inverted information signal at a first port; and

third and fourth switching devices that each receive said amplified inverted information signal at a first port;

wherein a second port of each of the first and fourth switching devices is electrically coupled to a first node;

wherein a second port of each of the second and third switching devices is electrically coupled to a second node;

wherein a first control signal is applied to a third port of each of the first and third switching devices;

wherein a second control signal is applied to a third port of each of the second and fourth switching devices; and

wherein an up-converted signal is produced differentially between the first node and second node.

103. The transmitter of claim 102, wherein the first control signal causes the first and third switching devices to close to cause the amplified non-inverted information signal to be electrically coupled to the first node and the amplified inverted information signal to be electrically coupled to the second node;

and

wherein the second control signal causes the second and fourth switching devices to close to cause the amplified non-inverted information signal to be electrically coupled to the second node and the amplified inverted information signal to be electrically coupled to the first node.

104. The transmitter of claim 102, further comprising:

a first capacitor electrically coupled between the amplified non-inverted information signal and a first bias; and

a second capacitor electrically coupled between the amplified inverted information signal and the second bias.

105. The transmitter of claim 104, wherein the first and second bias is an AC ground.

106. The transmitter of claim 102, wherein the first, second, third, and fourth switching devices are transistors.

107. The transmitter of claim 102, wherein the first, second, third, and fourth switching devices are FETs.

108. The transmitter of claim 102, wherein the first, second, third, and fourth switching devices are JFETs.

109. The transmitter of claim 102, wherein the first, second, third, and fourth switching devices are MOSFETs.

110. The transmitter of claim 102, wherein the up-converted signal is a harmonically rich signal.

111. The transmitter of claim 110, further comprising a band pass filter that filters said up-converted signal to remove at least harmonic frequency, whereby the filtered up-converted signal includes a selected frequency.