Transmitter arrangement and signal processing method

• US 20080118000A1
• Filed: 11/17/2006
• Published: 05/22/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Mobile Communications Technology GmbH (Intel Corporation)
• Inventors: Liu, Junqi, Yu, Qi, Kraut, Gunther
• Granted Patent: US 7,881,401 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 375/297
• CPC Class Codes: H03C 5/00 Amplitude modulation and angle modulation produced simultaneously or at will by the same modulating signal H03C7/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/0294 using vector summing of two or more constant amplitude phase-modulated signals
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/24 of transmitter output stages

Abstract

A transmitter arrangement includes a first and a second phase-locked loop, each having a power amplifier. The first phase-locked loop generates a first amplified oscillator signal depending on a first input signal representing a first phase information, wherein a first feedback signal for the first phase-locked loop is derived from the first amplified oscillator signal. Accordingly, the second phase-locked loop generates a second amplified oscillator signal depending on a second input signal representing a second phase information. A second feedback signal for the second phase-locked loop is derived from the second amplified oscillator signal. The transmitter arrangement further includes a summation element to combine the amplified first oscillator signal and the amplified second oscillator signal to an output signal.

Claims

1. A transmitter arrangement, comprising:

a first and a second controlled oscillator, each comprising a control input and a signal output;

a first control device comprising a first data input, a first feedback input and a first control output which is coupled to the control input of the first controlled oscillator;

a second control device comprising a second data input, a second feedback input and a second control output which is coupled to the control input of the second controlled oscillator;

a first power amplifier comprising an input coupled to the signal output of the first controlled oscillator, an output coupled to the feedback input of the first control device and a first power control input to adjust a gain factor of the first power amplifier;

a second power amplifier comprising an input coupled to the signal output of the second controlled oscillator, an output coupled to the feedback input of the second control device and a second power control input to adjust a gain factor of the second power amplifier; and

a summation element which on its input side is coupled to the output of the first and the second power amplifier and which comprises an output coupled to a signal output of the transmitter arrangement.

2. The transmitter arrangement of claim 1, further comprising:

a third control device comprising a reference input to receive a reference value, a third feedback input which is coupled to the output of the first power amplifier and a third control output which is coupled to the first power control input of the first power amplifier; and

a fourth control device comprising a reference input to receive the reference value, a fourth feedback input which is coupled to the output of the second power amplifier and a fourth control output which is coupled to the second power control input of the second power amplifier.

3. The transmitter arrangement of claim 2, further comprising a first detection unit which couples the third feedback input of the third control device to the first power amplifier and a second detection unit which couples the fourth feedback input of the fourth control device to the second power amplifier.

4. The transmitter arrangement of claim 2, further comprising a detection unit which is selectively coupled between the third feedback input and the first power amplifier or between the fourth feedback input and the second power amplifier depending on a detection control signal.

5. The transmitter arrangement of claim 1, wherein the first feedback input is selectively coupled to the output of the first power amplifier or to the signal output of the first controlled oscillator depending on a feedback control signal, and wherein the second feedback input is selectively coupled to the output of the second power amplifier or to the signal output of the second controlled oscillator depending on the feedback control signal.

6. The transmitter arrangement of claim 1, wherein the first and the second power amplifier each comprise an attenuation element coupled to the output of the respective power amplifier.

7. The transmitter arrangement of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first and the second controlled oscillator is controlled digitally.

8. The transmitter arrangement of claim 1, further comprising a conversion unit which comprises a signal input and a first and a second data output coupled to the first and the second data input, the conversion unit generating a first and a second input signal, each representing a phase information to be provided at the first and the second data output as a function of input data received at the signal input.

9. A transmitter arrangement, comprising:

a first controlled oscillator to generate a first oscillator signal depending on a first control signal;

a second controlled oscillator to generate a second oscillator signal depending on a second control signal;

a first power amplifier to amplify the first oscillator signal;

a second power amplifier to amplify the second oscillator signal;

a summation element to combine the amplified first oscillator signal and the amplified second oscillator signal to an output signal;

a first control device to generate the first control signal as a function of a first input signal and a first feedback signal, wherein a first feedback path to provide the first feedback signal is coupled to an output of the first power amplifier; and

a second control device to generate the second control signal as a function of a second input signal and a second feedback signal, wherein a second feedback path to provide the second feedback signal is coupled to an output of the second power amplifier.

10. The transmitter arrangement of claim 9, further comprising:

a third control device to generate a first power control signal determining a gain factor of the first power amplifier as a function of a reference value and an amplitude of the amplified first oscillator signal; and

a fourth control device to generate a second power control signal determining a gain factor of the second power amplifier as a function of the reference value and an amplitude of the amplified second oscillator signal.

11. The transmitter arrangement of claim 10, further comprising:

a first detection unit coupled to the third control device and to the first power amplifier to measure the amplitude of the amplified first oscillator signal and provide the measured amplitude to the third control device; and

a second detection unit coupled to the fourth control device and to the second power amplifier to measure the amplitude of the amplified second oscillator signal and provide the measured amplitude to the fourth control device.

12. The transmitter arrangement of claim 10, further comprising a detection unit which is selectively coupled between the third control device and the first power amplifier to measure the amplitude of the amplified first oscillator signal or between the fourth control device and the second power amplifier to measure the amplitude of the amplified second oscillator signal depending on a detection control signal.

13. The transmitter arrangement of claim 9, wherein the first feedback path is selectively coupled to the output of the first power amplifier or to a signal output of the first controlled oscillator depending on a feedback control signal, and wherein the second feedback path is selectively coupled to the output of the second power amplifier or to a signal output of the second controlled oscillator depending on the feedback control signal.

14. The transmitter arrangement of claim 9, wherein the first and the second power amplifier each comprise an attenuation element coupled to the output of the respective power amplifier.

15. The transmitter arrangement of claim 9, wherein the first and the second control signal are provided as digital control signals.

16. The transmitter arrangement of claim 9, further comprising a conversion unit to generate the first and the second input signal each representing a phase information as a function of input data provided thereto.

17. A transmitter arrangement, comprising:

a first phase locked loop comprising a first power amplifier, the first phase locked loop to generate a first amplified oscillator signal depending on a first input signal representing a first phase information, wherein a first feedback signal for the first phase locked loop is selectively derived from the first amplified oscillator signal;

a second phase locked loop comprising a second power amplifier, the second phase locked loop to generate a second amplified oscillator signal depending on a second input signal representing a second phase information, wherein a second feedback signal for the second phase locked loop is selectively derived from the second amplified oscillator signal; and

a summation element to combine the amplified first oscillator signal and the amplified second oscillator signal to an output signal.

18. The transmitter arrangement of claim 17, wherein each of the first and the second phase locked loops comprise a control device to adjust a gain factor of the respective power amplifier as a function of a reference value and the respective amplified oscillator signal.

19. The transmitter arrangement of claim 17, wherein each of the first and the second phase locked loops comprise a controlled oscillator to generate a respective oscillator signal to be amplified and wherein the respective feedback signal is further selectively derived from the respective oscillator signal depending on a feedback control signal.

20. The transmitter arrangement of claim 17, wherein the first and the second phase locked loop are controlled digitally.

21. The transmitter arrangement of claim 17, further comprising a conversion unit to generate the first and the second input signal as a function of input data provided thereto.

22. A signal processing method, comprising:

generating a first control signal as a function of a first feedback signal and a first input signal;

generating a second control signal as a function of a second feedback signal and a second input signal;

generating a first oscillator signal depending on the first control signal;

generating a second oscillator signal depending on the second control signal;

amplifying the first oscillator signal and the second oscillator signal;

combining the amplified first oscillator signal and the amplified second oscillator signal to an output signal;

deriving the first feedback signal from the amplified first oscillator signal; and

deriving the second feedback signal from the amplified second oscillator signal.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein amplifying the first and the second oscillator signal depends on a first and a second power control signal determining a respective gain factor, and wherein the first power control signal is derived as a function of a reference value and the first amplified oscillator signal and the second power control signal is derived as a function of the reference value and the second amplified oscillator signal.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein deriving the first and the second power control signal comprises measuring a respective amplitude of the first and the second amplified oscillator signal.

25. The method of claim 22, wherein the first feedback signal is further selectively derived from the first oscillator signal depending on a feedback control signal and the second feedback signal is further selectively derived from the second oscillator signal depending on the feedback control signal.

26. The method of claim 22, wherein deriving the first and the second feedback signal comprises attenuating the first and the second amplified oscillator signal respectively.

27. The method of claim 22, wherein the first and the second control signals are generated as digital signals.

28. The method of claim 22, further comprising generating the first and the second input signals as a function of input data provided, the first and the second input signals each representing a phase information.

29. A signal processing method, comprising:

generating a first phase modulated signal as a function of a first feedback signal and a first input signal which represents a first phase information;

generating a second phase modulated signal as a function of a second feedback signal and a second input signal which represents a second phase information;

amplifying the first phase modulated signal depending on a first power control signal;

amplifying the second phase modulated signal depending on a second power control signal;

generating an output signal by summing up the amplified first phase modulated signal and the amplified second phase modulated signal;

deriving the first feedback signal from the amplified first phase modulated signal; and

deriving the second feedback signal from the amplified second phase modulated signal.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the first power control signal is derived as a function of a reference value and an amplitude of the amplified first phase modulated signal, and the second power control signal is derived as a function of the reference value and an amplitude of the amplified second phase modulated signal.

31. The method of claim 29, wherein the first feedback signal is further derived from the first phase modulated signal depending on a feedback control signal and the second feedback signal is further derived from the second phase modulated signal depending on the feedback control signal.

32. The method of claim 29, wherein deriving the first and the second feedback signal comprises attenuating the first and the second amplified phase modulated signal respectively.