MDG method for output signal generation

• US 6,353,735 B1
• Filed: 08/23/1999
• Issued: 03/05/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: ParkerVision, Inc.
• Original Assignee: ParkerVision, Inc.
• Inventors: Cook, Robert W., Bultman, Michael J., Sorrells, David F., Moses, Charley D. Jr., Looke, Richard C.
• Primary Examiner(s): GREEN, MIGUEL D
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bhattacharya, Sam
• Application Number:
  US09/379,497
• Time in Patent Office: 925 Days
• Field of Search: 455/118, 455/115, 455/131, 455/139, 455/182.1, 455/202, 455/205, 455/313, 455/315, 455/317, 455/318, 455/113, 455/324, 329/345, 329/347, 327/9, 327/91, 702/66, 702/70
• US Class Current: 455/118
• CPC Class Codes: H03C 1/62 Modulators in which amplitude of carrier component in output is dependent upon strength of modulating signal, e.g. no carrier output when no modulating signal is present H03C1/28 - H03C1/34, H03C1/46, H03C1/48 take precedence
• 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 7/12 Frequency diversity

Abstract

A method and system is described wherein a signal with a lower frequency is up-converted to a higher frequency. In one embodiment, the higher frequency signal is used as a stable frequency and phase reference. In another embodiment, the invention is used as a transmitter. The 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 as a frequency or phase reference, the oscillating signal is not modulated, and controls a switch that is connected to a bias signal. When the invention is being used in the frequency modulation (FM) or phase modulation (PM) implementations, the oscillating signal is modulated by an information signal before it causes the switch to gate the bias signal. In the amplitude modulation implementation (AM), the oscillating signal is not modulated, but rather causes the switch to gate a reference signal that is substantially equal to or proportional to the information signal. In the FM and PM implementations, the signal that is output from the switch is modulated substantially the same as the modulated oscillating signal. In the AM implementation, the signal that is output from the switch has an amplitude that is a function of the information signal. In both embodiments, the output of the switch is filtered, and the desired harmonic is output.

Claims

1. A method for generating an output signal according to specified criteria using a control signal and a bias signal, the control signal having a control frequency, and the bias signal having a bias amplitude, comprising the steps of:

(1) selecting output signal criteria relating to at least one of a desired frequency, a desired period, and a desired amplitude for the output signal;

(2) establishing said desired amplitude for the output signal, wherein step (2) comprises at least one of steps (a) and (b);

(a) shaping the control signal according to said output signal criteria to create a shaped control signal, said shaped control signal comprising a plurality of pulses; and

(b) controlling a gain of the output signal by adjusting the bias signal; and

(3) gating the bias signal at a rate corresponding to the control frequency or a frequency of said shaped control signal to create a periodic signal, said periodic signal having a periodic signal amplitude, a periodic signal frequency, and a periodic signal pulse width, and wherein said periodic signal frequency corresponds to the control frequency or said frequency of said shaped control signal, said periodic signal being comprised of a plurality of harmonics, wherein at least one of said plurality of harmonics is a desired harmonic;

 

wherein step (2)(a) comprises at least one of steps (i) and (ii);

(i) frequency regulating said shaped control signal such that said frequency of said shaped control signal corresponds to a subharmonic frequency of said desired frequency; and

(ii) pulse regulating said shaped control signal to control a pulse width of each pulse of said plurality of pulses of said shaped control signal, said pulse width being a shaped signal pulse width.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

(4) modulating at least one of the control signal and the bias signal using at least one information signal.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein step (2)(a)(i) comprises:

frequency regulating said shaped control signal such that said frequency of said shaped control signal is substantially equal to the control frequency.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein step (2)(a)(i) comprises:

frequency regulating said shaped control signal such that said frequency of said shaped control signal is substantially equal to two times the control frequency.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein step (2)(a)(i) comprises:

frequency regulating said shaped control signal such that said frequency of said shaped control signal is substantially equal to “

k”

times the control frequency, where “

k”

is a positive, non-zero integer.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein step (2)(a)(ii) comprises:

pulse regulating said shaped control signal to control said shaped signal pulse width such that a ratio of said shaped signal pulse width to said desired period of the output signal is substantially equal to “

m”

plus 0.5, where “

m”

is a positive, non-zero integer.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein step (2)(a)(ii) comprises:

pulse regulating said shaped control signal to control said shaped signal pulse width such that a ratio of said shaped signal pulse width to said desired period of the output signal is substantially equal to 0.5.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said shaped control signal has a shaped control signal period, and wherein step (2)(a)(ii) comprises:

pulse regulating said shaped control signal to control said shaped signal pulse width so that a ratio of said shaped signal pulse width to said shaped control signal period is substantially equal to one-half of “

m”

divided by “

n,”

where “

n”

is a positive integer and represents a harmonic corresponding to said subharmonic frequency of step (2)(a)(i), and where “

m”

is a positive odd integer.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said shaped control signal has a shaped control signal period, and wherein step (2)(a)(ii) comprises:

pulse regulating said shaped control signal to control said shaped signal pulse width so that a ratio of said shaped signal pulse width to said shaped control signal period is substantially equal to 0.5 divided by “

n,”

where “

n”

is a positive integer and represents a harmonic corresponding to said subharmonic frequency of step (2)(a)(i).

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said shaped control signal has a shaped control signal period, and wherein step (2)(a)(ii) comprises:

pulse regulating said shaped control signal to control said shaped signal pulse width so that a ratio of said shaped signal pulse width to said shaped control signal period is substantially equal to 0.05556.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein said shaped control signal has a shaped control signal period, and wherein step (2)(a)(ii) comprises:

pulse regulating said shaped control signal to control said shaped signal pulse width so that a ratio of said shaped signal pulse width to said shaped control signal period is substantially equal to 0.02778.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the control frequency is substantially equal to a subharmonic frequency of the desired frequency.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of isolating said desired harmonic using one of a high-Q filter or a non-high-Q filter.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein step (2)(b) comprises:

increasing the bias amplitude to amplify the desired amplitude of the output signal.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein step (2)(b) comprises:

decreasing the bias amplitude to decrease the desired amplitude of the output signal.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the bias signal is a function of an information signal.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein said information signal is modulated on the output signal.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein said information signal is amplitude modulated on the output signal.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein said information signal is angle modulated on the output signal.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the control signal is a function of an information signal.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein said information signal is modulated on the output signal.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein said information signal is amplitude modulated on the output signal.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein said information signal is angle modulated on the output signal.

24. The method of claim 1, wherein the bias signal is a function of a first information signal and the control signal is a function of a second information signal.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein said first information signal is modulated on the output signal and said second information signal is modulated on the output signal.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein said first information signal is modulated via a first modulation scheme on the output signal and said second information signal is modulated via a second modulation scheme on the output signal.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein said first modulation scheme is amplitude modulation.

28. The method of claim 26, wherein said first modulation scheme is angle modulation.

29. The method of claim 26, wherein said second modulation scheme is amplitude modulation.

30. The method of claim 26, wherein said second modulation scheme is angle modulation.

31. The method of claim 25, wherein said first information signal is amplitude modulated on the output signal and said second information signal is angle modulated on the output signal.

32. The method of claim 25, wherein said first information signal is angle modulated on the output signal and said second information signal is amplitude modulated on the output signal.

33. The method of claim 1, wherein modulation and frequency up-conversion occur in step (3).