PLL circuit having a multi-band oscillator and compensating oscillation frequency

• US 7,103,337 B2
• Filed: 02/26/2003
• Issued: 09/05/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.), Ttpcom Limited
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd., Ttpcom Limited
• Inventors: Uozumi, Toshiya, Kasahara, Masumi, Tanaka, Satoshi, Kimura, Yasuyuki, Henshaw, Robert Astle, Oosawa, Hirotaka
• Primary Examiner(s): Urban, Edward F.
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHOW, CHARLES CHIANG
• Application Number:
  US10/373,020
• Publication Number:
  US 20030224749A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,287 Days
• Field of Search: 455/252.1, 455/255, 455/258, 455/260, 455/262, 455/264, 455/333, 455/334, 455/425, 455/550.1, 455/575.1, 455/561, 455/412.1, 455/418, 455/67.1, 455/63.1, 455/456.5, 455/456.6, 455/67.14, 455/147, 455/180.3, 455/183.1, 455/186.1, 455/185.1, 455/226.1, 455316-318, 331/17.25, 331/44, 331/1.R, 331/176, 331/107.R, 331/66, 331/68, 331/177.R, 327/138, 327/156, 327/157, 327/127
• US Class Current: 455/255
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/0211 with control of the supply voltage or current
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/0266 by using a signal derived from the input signal
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/0272 by using a signal derived from the output signal
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/345 using hybrid or directional couplers
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/294 the amplifier being a low noise amplifier [LNA]
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/372 Noise reduction and elimination in amplifier
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 3/3042 in modulators, frequency-changers, transmitters or power amplifiers transmission power control in bidirectional transmission systems H04W52/04
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 3/3047 for intermittent signals, e.g. burst signals
• CPC Class Codes: H03L 7/0898 the source or sink current values being variable H03L7/0896 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H03L 7/099 concerning mainly the controlled oscillator of the loop
• CPC Class Codes: H03L 7/187 using means for coarse tuning the voltage controlled oscillator of the loop H03L7/191 - H03L7/195 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2001/0416 having gain or transmission power control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/0008 arrangements for allowing a transmitter or receiver to use more than one type of modulation negotiating modulation type for two-way transmission paths H04L5/1453
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/2017 in which the phase changes are non-linear, e.g. generalized and Gaussian minimum shift keying, tamed frequency modulation H04L27/201 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/2071 in which the data are represented by the carrier phase, e.g. systems with differential coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/361 Modulation using a single or unspecified number of carriers, e.g. with separate stages of phase and amplitude modulation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/368 adaptive predistortion

Abstract

A semiconductor integrated circuit device for communication is provided with a PLL circuit or the like formed therein, the PLL circuit which is capable of realizing the compensation of fluctuation due to temperature change, the inhibition of increase in the chip area and the ensurement of the performance margin, and which controls a VCO having multiple oscillation frequency bands. In the case where automatic calibration is performed by switching a switch to a side of a DC voltage source in the PLL circuit using a VCO having multiple oscillation bands, a tuning voltage (Vtune) of an RFVCO is fixed to a voltage value of a DC voltage source. However, since a temperature characteristic of canceling a VCO oscillation frequency is given to the DC voltage source, it is possible to minimize the influence on the band selection when a calibration table comes to no optimum one.

Claims

1. A semiconductor integrated circuit device for communication, which includes a PLL circuit that has a VCO constituted so as to be capable of perform an oscillation operation in multiple frequency bands and that is capable of outputting an oscillation signal having a frequency in accordance with specified frequency information, said device comprising:

a DC voltage source used as a tuning voltage of said VCO, and generating one of a DC voltage having reverse dependence to dependence of said VCO in frequency relative to temperature in the case where the frequency of said VCO increases with increasing of said VCO tuning voltage and a DC voltage having the same dependence as dependence of said VCO in frequency relative to temperature in the case where the frequency of said VCO decreases conversely with increasing of said VCO tuning voltage;

a frequency counter for measuring an oscillation frequency of said VCO;

a memory circuit for memorizing frequency information measured per each frequency band of said VCO by said frequency counter; and

a control circuit for performing calibration by connecting said VCO to said DC voltage source, oscillating and operating said VCO in accordance with a DC voltage supplied from said DC voltage source, measuring this oscillation frequency per each frequency band of said VCO by said frequency counter, and memorizing the oscillation frequency in said memory circuit.

2. A semiconductor integrated circuit device for communication, which includes a PLL circuit that has a VCO constituted so as to be capable of perform an oscillation operation in multiple frequency bands and that is capable of outputting an oscillation signal having a frequency in accordance with specified frequency information, said device comprising:

a DC voltage source for generating a predetermined DC voltage as a tuning voltage of said VCO;

a frequency counter for measuring an oscillation frequency of said VCO;

a memory circuit for memorizing frequency information measured per each frequency band of said VCO by said frequency counter; and

a control circuit for performing recalibration after said VCO is connected to said DC voltage source, oscillating and operating said VCO in accordance with a DC voltage supplied from said DC voltage source, measuring an error of a first frequency band out of all frequency bands of said VCO by said oscillation counter when this oscillation frequency is measured, estimating, from the error, errors of the other frequency bands, and memorizing the errors in said memory circuit.

3. A method of calibrating a voltage controlled oscillator which is adapted to operate within each of multiple frequency bands, comprising the steps of setting the oscillator to a first frequency band;

measuring the oscillator output frequency at a fixed oscillator input voltage;

comparing the measured value with a target reference frequency to determine whether or not the measured value matches the target reference frequency, and either selecting said first frequency band for operation of the oscillator if the measured value matches the target reference frequency, or setting the oscillator to a new frequency band and measuring the oscillator output frequency at said fixed oscillator input voltage to obtain a new measured value if the measured value does not match the target reference frequency, and repeating the comparison step using the new measured value and said target reference frequency and acting on the result to either select said new frequency band for operation of the oscillator or Betting the oscillator to another new frequency band and repeating the measuring and comparison steps if necessary until a frequency band has been select.

4. The method according to claim 3, in which the oscillator includes a phase locked loop with a switch in the input path to the oscillator which is operated to provide said fixed oscillator input voltage.

5. The method according to claim 4, in which the phase locked loop comprises a phase detector and loop filter in the input path, and the switch serves to disconnect the loop filter from the phase detector and connect it to a voltage source.

6. The method according to claim 4, in which the phase locked 1loop comprises a phase detector and loop filter in the input path, and the switch serves to disconnect the loop filter from the phase detector and connect it to a current source that causes the loop filter to generate said fixed oscillator input voltage.

7. The method according to claim 3, in which a counter is provided to count cycles of the oscillator output frequency over a fixed period of time to determine said calibration values of the output frequency.