Tuning circuit device with built-in band pass integrated on semiconductor substrate together with PLL circuit

• US 6,490,441 B1
• Filed: 04/20/2000
• Issued: 12/03/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Renesas Electronics Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Saito, Hitoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, THANH C
• Application Number:
  US09/553,893
• Time in Patent Office: 957 Days
• Field of Search: 455/180.1, 455/180.3, 455/183.1, 455/190.1, 455/190.3, 455/193.1, 455/193.2, 455/193.3, 455/260, 455/307, 455/317, 455/328, 455/339, 348/725, 348/729, 348/728, 348/731, 348/735
• US Class Current: 455/183.1
• CPC Class Codes: H03J 1/005 in a loop
• CPC Class Codes: H03J 2200/08 Calibration of receivers, in particular of a band pass filter

Abstract

An analog tuning circuit, a phase locked loop and a controller form a semiconductor integrated tuning device, and the analog tuning circuit has a variable band pass filter between a mixer and an amplifier so as to match an intermediate frequency signal to a telecasting facility standard, wherein the controller supplies control signals produced on the basis of an external instruction to the variable band pass filter so that the semiconductor integrated tuning device is shareable between the products exported to difference countries.

Claims

1. A tuner comprising

a tuning circuit fabricated on a semiconductor substrate and including a mixer for converting a receiving signal to an intermediate frequency signal, an amplifier and a variable band pass filter connected between said mixer and said amplifier for changing a central frequency of said intermediate frequency signal and a band width for a channel,

a phase locked loop including circuit components fabricated on said semiconductor substrate and supplying an oscillation signal synchronous with a reference oscillation signal to said mixer, and

a controller responsive to an instruction supplied outside of said semi-conductor substrate and supplying control signals representative of said central frequency and said band width to said variable band pass filter.

2. The tuner as set forth in claim 1, in which said controller includes

a data interface supplied with said instruction and producing a digital control signal, and

a signal converter having a digital-to-analog converter for converting said digital control signal to said control signals varied in potential level.

3. The tuner as set forth in claim 1, in which said variable band pass filter is an LCR circuit.

4. The tuner as set forth in claim 3, in which said LCR circuit includes

a parallel combination of a variable capacitor and an inductor connected between an input node and an output node,

a first resistor connected between said input node and a constant voltage source,

a second resistor connected to said output node and supplying one of said control signals, and

a variable resistor connected between said variable capacitor and said output node and responsive to another of said control signals so as to change the resistance thereof.

5. The tuner as set forth in claim 4, in which a varactor diode serves as said variable capacitor.

6. The tuner as set forth in claim 4, in which a field effect transistor serves as said variable resistor, and said another of said control signals is supplied to a gate electrode of said field effect transistor.

7. The tuner as set forth in claim 1, in which an active filter serves as said variable band pass filter.

8. The tuner as set forth in claim 7, in which said active filter includes a variable low pass filter, a variable high pass filter and a coupling varactor diode connected between said low pass filter and said high pass filter.

9. The tuner as set forth in claim 8, in which said variable low pass filter includes

a serial resistor connected to an input node,

a matching resistor connected to said serial resistor,

another varactor diode connected between said matching resistor and a constant voltage source,

an operational amplifier connected between said matching resistor and said varactor diode and responsive to one of said control signals so as to vary a gain thereof, and

a feedback varactor diode connected between an output node of said operational amplifier and a node between said serial resistor and said matching resistor.

10. The tuner as set forth in claim 8, in which said variable high pass filter includes

another varactor diode connected to said varactor diode,

a resistor connected to said another varactor diode and a constant voltage source,

an operational amplifier connected between said another varactor diode and an output node and responsive to one of said control signals so as to vary a gain thereof, and

a feedback resistor connected between an output node of said operational amplifier and a node between said varactor diode and said another varactor diode.

11. The tuner as set forth in claim 1, in which said phase locked loop includes a program counter serving as a frequency divider and responsive to another control signal so as to change a frequency dividing ratio and a reference counter serving as another frequency divider and responsive to yet another control signal so as to change a frequency dividing ratio, and

said controller further produces said another control signal and said yet another control signal.