KFM frequency tracking system using a digital correlator

• US 7,679,468 B1
• Filed: 07/27/2007
• Issued: 03/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: III Holdings 6, LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Quintic Holdings (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Inventors: Walley, Kenneth Scott, Groe, John B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pascal; Robert
• Assistant Examiner(s): Gannon; Levi
• Application Number:
  US11/829,817
• Time in Patent Office: 963 Days
• Field of Search: 332/127, 332/128, 331/23
• US Class Current: 332/128
• CPC Class Codes: H03C 3/0925 applying frequency modulation at the divider in the feedback loop
• CPC Class Codes: H03C 3/0933 using fractional frequency division in the feedback loop of the phase locked loop
• CPC Class Codes: H03C 3/0941 applying frequency modulation at more than one point in the loop
• CPC Class Codes: H03C 3/0958 applying frequency modulation by varying the characteristics of the voltage controlled oscillator
• CPC Class Codes: H03C 3/0991 including calibration means or calibration methods

Abstract

An apparatus for providing a two point phase/frequency modulation system is disclosed herein. The apparatus includes a first network configured to introduce an offset to center a signal applied to a VCO. The apparatus further includes a second network configured to set a gain of the VCO. A phase tracking network is configured to dynamically adjust the offset and the gain.

Claims

1. Apparatus for providing a two point phase/frequency modulation system, the apparatus comprising:

a first network configured to introduce an offset to center a signal applied to a VCO;

a second network configured to set a gain of the VCO; and

a phase tracking network configured to dynamically adjust the offset and the gain.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the phase tracking network includes a correlator network operative to track an error signal applied to the VCO.

3. Apparatus for providing a two point phase/frequency modulation system, the apparatus comprising:

a first network configured to introduce an offset to center a signal applied to a VCO;

a second network configured to set a gain of the VCO; and

a phase tracking network configured to dynamically adjust the offset and the gain;

wherein the phase tracking network includes a correlator network operative to track an error signal applied to the VCO and

wherein the correlator network includes;

a subtracting integrator;

a window comparator coupled to an output of the subtracting integrator; and

a correlator coupled to an output of the window comparator.

4. Apparatus for tracking in a two point phase/frequency modulation system to adjust an offset and scale of a signal applied to a VCO, the apparatus comprising:

a subtracting integrator configured to capture a dynamic correction signal;

a window comparator configured to determine a polarity of an output signal of the integrator;

a correlator network configured to project the dynamic correction signal onto a reference modulation signal; and

logic configured to generate, based on the output signal of the correlator, a control signal (Voff) to adjust the offset of a signal applied to the VCO and a control signal (Valpha) to scale the signal applied to the VCO.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the correlator network is an analog network comprising:

a correlator element coupled at a first input to a control signal and at a second input to a reference signal;

an integrator coupled at an input to an output of the correlator element, the integrator comprising;

an op-amp element; and

a capacitor element; and

a window comparator coupled to an output of the integrator.

6. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the correlator network is a digital network comprising:

a subtracting integrator having an input coupled to a control signal;

a window comparator having an input coupled to an output of the subtracting integrator;

a network configured to generate a sign signal based on accumulated FM data; and

a correlator element configured to cross-correlate the sign signal and an output from the window comparator.

7. Apparatus for tracking the operation of a two point phase/frequency modulation system to adjust the offset and/or the scaling applied to the signal driving the VCO, the apparatus comprising:

a subtracting integrator configured to capture a dynamic correction signal;

an A/D converter for measuring an output of the integrator;

a correlator configured to project the dynamic correction signal onto a reference modulation signal and produce a correlation signal;

logic configured to generate, based on the output signal of the correlator, a control signal (Voff) to adjust the offset of a signal applied to the VCO and a control signal (Valpha) to scale the signal applied to the VCO.

8. A phase/frequency modulation system, comprising:

a phase-locked loop (PLL) having a VCO including a first port and a second port wherein during operation of the PLL an error signal is received by the first port;

a correlator network configured to produce an output signal based upon the error signal and a function of an applied FM modulation signal; and

a phase tracking loop which generates, in response to the output signal, a VCO control signal applied to the second port.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the function comprises a sign function.

10. The system of claim 8 wherein the phase tracking loop includes:

logic configured to generate an offset adjustment signal and a gain adjustment signal, and

a tracking network for providing the VCO control signal based upon the offset adjustment signal and the gain adjustment signal.

11. A method for providing two point phase/frequency modulation, comprising:

generating an offset signal;

providing the offset signal to center a modulation signal applied to a VCO element of a phase-locked loop;

generating a gain signal;

providing the gain signal to set a gain of the VCO; and

dynamically tracking, during operation of the phase-locked loop, the offset and the gain of the VCO so as to generate one or more additional correction signals to be applied to the VCO.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein said dynamically tracking is performed in part using a correlator network operative to track an error signal applied to the VCO.

13. A method for tracking the relationship between a direct modulation FM signal applied to a phase-locked loop (PLL) and a PLL feedback signal, comprising:

generating, using cross-correlation between the FM signal and feedback signal, a correlation signal that;

follows the FM signal when the FM signal is scaled below a first predefined scaling threshold; and

moves opposite to the FM signal when the FM signal is scaled above a second predefined threshold; and

providing said correlation signal to the PLL so as to adjust the output of a VCO element of the PLL.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein said generating comprises;

accumulating a data signal component of the FM signal for a predefined time interval to generate an accumulated data signal;

generating a sign signal based on said accumulating;

integrating the control signal for the predefined time interval to generate an integrated control signal; and

comparing the accumulated data signal and integrated control signal to generate the correlation signal.