Circuit and method

• US 7,848,715 B2
• Filed: 05/03/2007
• Issued: 12/07/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/03/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
• Inventors: Boos, Zdravko
• Primary Examiner(s): Dao; Minh D
• Application Number:
  US11/743,964
• Publication Number:
  US 20080274703A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,314 Days
• Field of Search: 455/91, 455/86, 455/73, 455/522, 455/76, 455/571, 455/572, 455/574, 455/127.1, 455/127.5, 370/318, 375/376, 375/336
• US Class Current: 455/91
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/156 with automatic control of output voltage or current, e.g. switching regulators

Abstract

Implementations related to circuits including an oscillator and a switch-mode DC/DC converter are presented herein.

Claims

1. A transmitter circuit, comprising:

a frequency synthesizer to provide a first signal having a first frequency;

an up-conversion mixer, coupled to the frequency synthesizer, to mix a signal to be transmitted with the first signal;

a frequency converter, coupled to the frequency synthesizer, to convert the first signal to a second signal having a second frequency; and

a switch-mode DC/DC converter, coupled to the frequency converter, to convert a first voltage to a second voltage, wherein the DC/DC converter is controlled by the second signal,

wherein the second frequency is equal to the sum of the first frequency and an offset frequency.

2. The transmitter circuit of claim 1, wherein the second frequency is locked to the first frequency.

3. The transmitter circuit of claim 1, wherein the second frequency is M/N times the first frequency and M and N are integers.

4. The transmitter circuit of claim 1, wherein the first signal has a first frequency bandwidth and the second signal has a second frequency bandwidth, wherein the first and second frequency bandwidths do not overlap, and wherein the second signal is not an integer harmonic or subharmonic of the first signal.

5. A transmitter circuit, comprising:

a frequency synthesizer to provide a first signal having a first frequency;

an up-conversion mixer, coupled to the frequency synthesizer, to mix a signal to be transmitted with the first signal;

a frequency converter, coupled to the frequency synthesizer, to convert the first signal to a second signal having a second frequency; and

a switch-mode DC/DC converter, coupled to the frequency converter, to convert a first voltage to a second voltage, wherein the DC/DC converter is controlled by the second signal,

wherein the frequency synthesizer and the DC/DC converter are integrated in the same integrated circuit.

6. A transmitter circuit, comprising:

a frequency synthesizer to provide a first signal having a first frequency;

an up-conversion mixer, coupled to the frequency synthesizer, to mix a signal to be transmitted with the first signal;

a frequency converter, coupled to the frequency synthesizer, to convert the first signal to a second signal having a second frequency; and

a switch-mode DC/DC converter, coupled to the frequency converter, to convert a first voltage to a second voltage, wherein the DC/DC converter is controlled by the second signal,

wherein the frequency synthesizer comprises a voltage-controlled oscillator or a digitally controlled oscillator, and wherein the voltage-controlled oscillator or digitally controlled oscillator is controlled by a phase locked loop circuit.

7. The transmitter circuit of claim 6, wherein the phase locked loop circuit is configured to derive a clock signal from an oscillator, wherein the oscillator is configured to generate clock signals for the transmitter circuit and a receiver circuit.

8. A transmitter circuit, comprising:

a frequency synthesizer to provide a first signal having a first frequency;

an up-conversion mixer, coupled to the frequency synthesizer, to mix a signal to be transmitted with the first signal;

a frequency converter, coupled to the frequency synthesizer, to convert the first signal to a second signal having a second frequency; and

a switch-mode DC/DC converter, coupled to the frequency converter, to convert a first voltage to a second voltage, wherein the DC/DC converter is controlled by the second signal,

wherein the DC/DC converter is self-oscillating and in particular stops self-oscillating when the second frequency is fed into the DC/DC converter.