Apparatus, system, and method for down-converting and up-converting electromagnetic signals

• US 7,386,292 B2
• Filed: 10/25/2004
• Issued: 06/10/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: ParkerVision, Inc.
• Original Assignee: ParkerVision, Inc.
• Inventors: Cook, Robert W., Rawlins, Gregory S., Bultman, Michael J., Sorrells, David F., Moses, Charley D. Jr., Looke, Richard C., Rawlins, Michael W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Phu; Sanh D.
• Application Number:
  US10/972,132
• Publication Number:
  US 20050085207A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,324 Days
• Field of Search: 455/313, 455/323, 455/334, 455/318, 455/330, 327/356, 327/357, 327/360
• US Class Current: 455/313
• 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 1/16 Circuits

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatuses, for down-converting and up-converting an electromagnetic signal. In embodiments the invention operates by receiving an EM signal and recursively operating on approximate half cycles of the carrier signal. The recursive operations can be performed at a sub-harmonic rate of the carrier signal. The invention accumulates the results of the recursive operations and uses the accumulated results to form a down-converted signal. In embodiments, 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 in the frequency modulation or phase modulation implementations, the oscillating signal is modulated by an information signal before it causes the switch to gate the bias signal. The output of the switch is filtered, and the desired harmonic is output.

Claims

1. An apparatus for down-converting an electromagnetic signal, comprising:

a first and second switching device each having a first, second, and third port;

a first and second capacitor each having a first and second port; and

a first and second impedance device each having a first and second port, wherein

the second port of the first switching device is electrically coupled to the first port of the first capacitor and the first port of the first impedance device,

the second port of the second switching device is electrically coupled to the first port of the second capacitor and the first port of the second impedance device, and

the second port of the first capacitor is electrically coupled to the second port of the second capacitor and the second ports of the first and second impedance devices, and wherein

a first switching signal is applied to the third port of the first switching device, and

a second switching signal is applied to the third port of the second switching device.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the first capacitor discharges between six percent to fifty percent of the total charge stored therein during a period of time that the first switching device is open, and

the second capacitor discharges between six percent to fifty percent of the total charge stored therein during a period of time that the second switching device is open.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the first capacitor discharges between six percent to twenty-five percent of the total charge stored therein during a period of time that the first switching device is open, and

the second capacitor discharges between six percent to twenty-five percent of the total charge stored therein during a period of time that the second switching device is open.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the first capacitor discharges between ten percent to twenty percent of the total charge stored therein during a period of time that the first switching device is open, and

the second capacitor discharges between ten percent to twenty percent of the total charge stored therein during a period of time that the second switching device is open.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the first capacitor discharges between fifteen percent to twenty-five percent of the total charge stored therein during a period of time that the first switching device is open, and

the second capacitor discharges between fifteen percent to twenty-five percent of the total charge stored therein during a period of time that the second switching device is open.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first impedance device is an input impedance of a first amplifier and the second impedance device is an input impedance of a second amplifier.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first and second switching devices are transistors.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first and second switching devices are FETs.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first and second switching devices are JFETs.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first and second switching devices are MOSFETs.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second port of the first capacitor, the second port of the second capacitor, and the second port of the first and second impedance device are each electrically coupled to an AC ground.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a first amplifier coupled to the first port of the first capacitor, the second port of the first switching device, and the first port of the first impedance device; and

a second amplifier coupled to the first port of the second capacitor, the second port of the second switching device, and the first port of the second impedance device;

wherein the first and second amplifiers amplify first and second down-converted signals, respectively.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first and second capacitors remove a carrier signal during down-conversion from first and second down-converted signals, respectively.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a first filter coupled to the first port of the first capacitor, the second port of the first switching device, and the first port of the first impedance device; and

a second filter coupled to the first port of the second capacitor, the second port of the second switching device, and the first port of the second impedance device.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the first and second filters are incorporated into first and second amplifiers, respectively.

16. A method for down-converting an electromagnetic signal, comprising the steps of:

(1) receiving an information signal;

(2) inverting the information signal to generate an inverted information signal;

(3) electrically coupling the information signal to a first switching device and the inverted information signal to a second switching device;

(4) controlling a charging and discharging cycle of first and second capacitors with the first and second switching devices, respectively; and

(5) performing a plurality of charging and discharging cycles of the first and second capacitors to generate first and second down-converted information signals across first and second impedance devices, respectively;

wherein the information signal is used to store a charge on the first capacitor when the first switching device is closed and the inverted information signal is used to store a charge on the second capacitor when the second switching device is closed.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the first capacitor discharges between six percent to fifty percent of the total charge stored therein during a period of time that the first switching device is open, and wherein the second capacitor discharges between six percent to fifty percent of the total charge stored therein during a period of time that the second switching device is open.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the first capacitor discharges between ten percent to twenty-five percent of the total charge stored therein during a period of time that the first switching device is open, and wherein the second capacitor discharges between ten percent to twenty-five percent of the total charge stored therein during a period of time that the second switching device is open.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the first capacitor discharges between fifteen percent to thirty percent of the total charge stored therein during a period of time that the first switching device is open, and wherein the second capacitor discharges between fifteen percent to thirty percent of the total charge stored therein during a period of time that the second switching device is open.

20. The method of claim 16, further comprising the step of:

amplifying the first and second down-converted information signals.

21. The method of claim 16, further comprising the step of:

removing a carrier signal from the first and second down-converted information signals during step (5).