Hybrid polar/cartesian digital modulator
First Claim
1. A method of hybrid polar/Cartesian modulation, said method comprising the steps of:
- receiving I and Q input signals representing data to be transmitted;
generating a frequency control word and amplitude control word from said I and Q input signals;
determining a metric and comparing said metric to a threshold; and
performing either polar modulation or Cartesian modulation on said input signal in accordance with said comparison.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A novel apparatus and method for a hybrid Cartesian/polar digital QAM modulator. The hybrid technique of the present invention utilizes a combination of an all digital phase locked loop (ADPLL) that features a wideband frequency modulation capability and a digitally controlled power amplifier (DPA) that features interpolation between 90 degree spaced quadrature phases. This structure is capable of performing either a polar operation or a Cartesian operation and can dynamically switch between them depending on the instantaneous value of a metric measured by a thresholder/router. In this manner, the disadvantages of each modulation technique are avoided while the benefits of each are exploited.
237 Citations
43 Claims
-
1. A method of hybrid polar/Cartesian modulation, said method comprising the steps of:
-
receiving I and Q input signals representing data to be transmitted;
generating a frequency control word and amplitude control word from said I and Q input signals;
determining a metric and comparing said metric to a threshold; and
performing either polar modulation or Cartesian modulation on said input signal in accordance with said comparison. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
-
-
7. An apparatus for hybrid polar/Cartesian modulation, comprising:
-
a converter adapted to generate first frequency control data and first amplitude control data word from I and Q input signals representing data to be transmitted;
a digitally controlled oscillator (DCO) operative to generate four quadrature phases in response to said first frequency command data;
a transistor array comprising a plurality of transistors adapted to generate an output signal whose amplitude is substantially proportional to the number of transistors active at any one time in said array;
a switch matrix adapted to couple said four quadrature phases output of said DCO to said transistor array;
a router adapted to receive said first frequency command data, said first amplitude command data and said I and Q input signals, said router operative to select either polar operation or Cartesian operation and to generate second frequency command data and second amplitude command vector data in response thereto; and
control means coupled to said cordic and said switch array, said control means operative to control said switch matrix to dynamically switch between polar and Cartesian modulation in accordance with said second amplitude command vector data. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
-
-
22. A modulator for hybrid polar/Cartesian modulation, comprising:
-
phase locked loop (PLL) means for generating quadrature phase signals in response to a frequency command; and
digital power amplifier (DPA) means for generating a radio frequency (RF) output signal in accordance with said quadrature phase signals and for dynamically switching between polar modulation operation and Cartesian modulation operation in accordance with the value of a metric based on said frequency command. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24)
-
-
25. A modulator for hybrid polar/Cartesian modulation, comprising:
-
a digital phase locked loop (DPLL) adapted to generate quadrature phase clock signals;
a router adapted to receive a first frequency command data, a first amplitude command data and I and Q input signals, said router operative to select either polar modulation operation or Cartesian modulation operation and to generate second frequency command data and second amplitude command vector data in response thereto; and
a digital power amplifier (DPA), comprising;
an array of switch elements operative to generate an RF output signal proportional to the number of switch elements at any point in time;
a switch matrix coupled to the output of said DPLL and to said array of switch elements, said switch matrix operative to couple each quadrature phase clock signal to said array of switch elements in accordance with a plurality of control signals; and
a control unit adapted to generate said plurality of control signals in accordance with second amplitude command vector data, wherein said control unit adapted to dynamically switch between polar modulation operation and Cartesian modulation operation in response to said second amplitude command vector data. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39)
-
-
40. A multi-mode radio for use with a plurality of modulation schemes, comprising:
-
means for realizing a polar modulation mode of operation;
means for realizing a Cartesian modulation mode of operation;
means for realizing a hybrid polar/Cartesian modulation mode of operation wherein polar or Cartesian modulation is dynamically selected based on the value of a metric compared to a threshold; and
control means for selecting one of said polar modulation, said Cartesian modulation or said hybrid polar/Cartesian modulation modes of operation in accordance with a selected modulation scheme. - View Dependent Claims (41, 42, 43)
-
Specification