Simplified high frequency tuner and tuning method
DCFirst Claim
1. A tuning method comprising:
- (a) receiving a channel of interest from a channelized spectrum having a predetermined channel spacing;
(b) frequency translating the channel of interest, by mixing with a local oscillator signal having a frequency that is one of a set of local oscillator frequencies, to within a near-baseband passband that has a maximum bandwidth that is about the channel spacing;
(c) dynamically varying the passband bandwidth; and
(e) dynamically selecting the frequency of the local oscillator signal to track frequency movement of the channel of interest.
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Abstract
A disclosed method tunes a signal from a channelized spectrum having a predetermined channel spacing. A signal of interest having a predetermined maximum bandwidth is mixed with a local oscillator signal, which has a frequency that is an integer multiple of the channel spacing or one-half of a channel spacing displaced from an integer multiple of the channel spacing. The local oscillator signal is selected to frequency translate the signal of interest to within a near-baseband passband whose lower edge is spaced from DC by at least about the maximum bandwidth of the signal of interest. Problems associated with 1/f noise, DC offsets, and self-mixing products are avoided or substantially diminished. Other methods and systems are also disclosed.
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Citations
46 Claims
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1. A tuning method comprising:
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(a) receiving a channel of interest from a channelized spectrum having a predetermined channel spacing; (b) frequency translating the channel of interest, by mixing with a local oscillator signal having a frequency that is one of a set of local oscillator frequencies, to within a near-baseband passband that has a maximum bandwidth that is about the channel spacing; (c) dynamically varying the passband bandwidth; and (e) dynamically selecting the frequency of the local oscillator signal to track frequency movement of the channel of interest. - View Dependent Claims (2)
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3. A tuning method comprising:
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(a) receiving a channel of interest from a channelized spectrum having a predetermined channel spacing; (b) frequency translating the channel of interest, by mixing with a local oscillator signal having a frequency that is one of a set of local oscillator frequencies, to within a near-baseband passband that has a maximum bandwidth that is about the channel spacing; and (c) dynamically varying the passband bandwidth; and (d) wherein the near-baseband passband is spaced from DC by about the channel spacing.
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4. A tuning method comprising:
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(a) receiving a channel of interest from a channelized spectrum having a predetermined channel spacing; (b) frequency translating the channel of interest, by mixing it with a local oscillator signal having a frequency that is one of a set of local oscillator frequencies, to within a passband that is near baseband and the lower edge of which is spaced from DC by at least about the channel spacing and that has a bandwidth that is about the channel spacing plus a fine tuning adjustment; (c) fine tuning the channel of interest by passing a selected range of bandpass frequencies; and (d) dynamically selecting the frequency of the local oscillator signal to track frequency movement of the channel of interest. - View Dependent Claims (5)
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6. A tuning method comprising:
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(a) receiving a channel of interest from a channelized spectrum having predetermined channel spacing; (b) frequency translating the channel of interest by mixing it with a local oscillator signal having a frequency that is one of a set of local oscillator frequencies, to within a near-baseband passband that has a bandwidth that is about the channel spacing plus a fine tuning adjustment; (c) fine tuning the channel of interest by digitally controlled variable bandpass filtering to pass a selected range of passband frequencies; and (d) dynamically selecting the frequency of the local oscillator signal to track frequency movement of the channel of interest. - View Dependent Claims (7)
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8. A tuning method comprising:
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(a) receiving a channel of interest from a channelized spectrum having predetermined channel spacing; (b) frequency translating the channel of interest by mixing it with a local oscillator signal having a frequency that is one of a set of local oscillator frequencies, to within a near-baseband passband that has a bandwidth that is about the channel spacing plus a fine tuning adjustment; and (c) fine tuning the channel of interest by digitally controlled variable bandpass filtering to pass a selected range of passband frequencies; and (d) wherein the near-baseband passband is spaced from DC by about the channel spacing.
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9. An apparatus for tuning, from a channelized spectrum having a predetermined channel spacing, a channel of interest, the apparatus comprising:
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(a) a local oscillator configured to generate a local oscillator signal; (b) a mixer responsive to the local oscillator signal and the channel of interest, wherein the mixer frequency-translates the channel of interest; (c) a filter configured to define a near-baseband passband; (d) a variable bandpass filter responsive to control inputs and configured to fine-tune the channel of interest by passing a range of frequencies within the near-baseband passband; (e) wherein the frequency-translated channel of interest falls within the near-baseband passband; and (f) wherein the local oscillator signal frequency is dynamically selectable to track frequency movement of the channel of interest. - View Dependent Claims (10)
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11. An apparatus for tuning, from a channelized spectrum having a predetermined channel spacing, a channel of interest, the apparatus comprising:
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(a) a local oscillator configured to generate a local oscillator signal; (b) a mixer responsive to the local oscillator signal and the channel of interest, wherein the mixer frequency-translates the channel of interest; (c) a filter configured to define a near-baseband passband; and (d) a variable bandpass filter responsive to control inputs and configured to fine-tune the channel of interest by passing a range of frequencies within the near-baseband passband; (e) wherein the frequency-translated channel of interest falls within the near-baseband passband; and (f) wherein the near-baseband passband is spaced from DC by about the channel spacing.
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12. A tuning method comprising:
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(a) receiving a channel of interest from a channelized spectrum having a predetermined channel spacing; (b) frequency translating the channel of interest by mixing with a first local oscillator signal having a frequency that is one of a set of local oscillator frequencies, to within a near-baseband passband that has a bandwidth that is about the channel spacing; (c) further translating the frequency-translated channel of interest by mixing the frequency-translated channel of interest with a second local oscillator signal; and (d) wherein further translating the frequency-translated channel of interest comprises translating the frequency-translated channel of interest to baseband.
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13. A tuning method comprising:
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(a) receiving a channel of interest from a channelized spectrum having a predetermined channel spacing; (b) frequency translating the channel of interest by mixing with a first local oscillator signal having a frequency that is one of a set of local oscillator frequencies, to within a near-baseband passband that has a bandwidth that is about the channel spacing; (c) further translating the frequency-translated channel of interest by mixing the frequency-translated channel of interest with a second local oscillator signal; and (d) dynamically selecting the frequency of the first local oscillator signal to track frequency movement of the channel of interest. - View Dependent Claims (14)
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15. Apparatus for tuning a channel of interest, from a channelized spectrum having a predetermined channel spacing, the apparatus comprising:
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(a) a first local oscillator configured to generate a first local oscillator signal; (b) a filter configured to define a near-baseband passband; (c) a first mixer, responsive to the first local oscillator signal and the channel of interest, that frequency-translates the channel of interest to within the near-baseband passband; (d) a variable bandpass filter responsive to control inputs and configured to vary the width of the near-baseband passband; (e) a baseband translator configured to translate the frequency-translated channel of interest to baseband; and (f) wherein the near-baseband passband is spaced from DC by about the channel spacing.
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16. Apparatus for tuning a channel of interest from a channelized spectrum having a predetermined channel spacing, the apparatus comprising:
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(a) a first local oscillator configured to generate a first local oscillator signal; (b) a filter configured to define a near-baseband passband; (c) a first mixer, responsive to the first local oscillator signal and the channel of interest, that frequency-translates the channel of interest to within the near-baseband passband; (d) a variable bandpass filter responsive to control inputs and configured to vary the width of the near-baseband passband; and (e) a baseband translator configured to translate the frequency-translated channel of interest to baseband; (f) wherein the baseband translator comprises; (i) a second local oscillator configured to generate a second local oscillator signal; and (ii) a second mixer, responsive to the second local oscillator signal and the frequency-translated channel of interest, that frequency translates the frequency-translated channel of interest to baseband; (g) wherein the near-baseband passband is about a channel spacing wide; (h) wherein the baseband translator is implemented in the digital domain; (i) wherein the baseband translator is further configured to fine-tune the channel of interest by adjustment of the second local oscillator signal; and (j) wherein the near-baseband passband is spaced from DC by about the channel spacing.
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17. A tuning method comprising:
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(a) receiving a channel of interest from a channelized spectrum having a predetermined channel spacing; (b) frequency translating the channel of interest, by mixing with a local oscillator signal having a frequency that is one of a set of local oscillator frequencies, to within a near-baseband passband that has a maximum bandwidth that is about the channel spacing; (c) dynamically varying the passband bandwidth; and (d) wherein the lower edge of the near-baseband passband is spaced from DC by about 1.5 times the maximum bandwidth of the signal of interest.
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18. A tuning method comprising:
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(a) receiving a channel of interest from a channelized spectrum having a predetermined channel spacing; (b) frequency translating the channel of interest, by mixing with a local oscillator signal having a frequency that is one of a set of local oscillator frequencies, to within a near-baseband passband that has a maximum bandwidth that is about the channel spacing; (c) dynamically varying the passband bandwidth; and (d) wherein the bandpass filter having a variable passband is a digital filter.
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19. A RF signal tuning method used in a receiver having a single set of quadrature mixers that downconvert a channel of interest from RF to a near-baseband passband, comprising:
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(a) receiving the channel of interest from a RF signal channelized spectrum having a predetermined channel spacing; (b) frequency translating the channel of interest, by mixing with a local oscillator signal having a frequency that is one of a set of local oscillator frequencies, to within the near-baseband passband that has a maximum bandwidth that is about the channel spacing; and (c) dynamically varying the passband bandwidth. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. A RF signal tuning method used in a receiver having a single set of quadrature mixers that downconvert a channel of interest from RF to a near-baseband passband, comprising:
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(a) receiving the channel of interest from a RF signal channelized spectrum having a predetermined channel spacing; (b) frequency translating the channel of interest, by mixing it with a local oscillator signal having a frequency that is one of a set of local oscillator frequencies, to within the near-baseband passband and the lower edge of which is spaced from DC by at least about the channel spacing and that has a bandwidth that is about the channel spacing plus a fine tuning adjustment; and (c) fine tuning the channel of interest by passing a selected range of bandpass frequencies. - View Dependent Claims (26)
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27. A RF signal tuning method used in a receiver having a single set of quadrature mixers that downconvert a channel of interest from RF to a near-baseband passband, comprising:
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(a) receiving the channel of interest from a RF signal channelized spectrum having predetermined channel spacing; (b) frequency translating the channel of interest by mixing it with a local oscillator signal having a frequency that is one of a set of local oscillator frequencies, to within the near-baseband passband that has a bandwidth that is about the channel spacing plus a fine tuning adjustment; and (c) fine tuning the channel of interest by digitally controlled variable bandpass filtering to pass a selected range of passband frequencies. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29, 30)
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31. A receiver apparatus that tunes a channel of interest, from a RF signal channelized spectrum having a predetermined channel spacing, the receiver apparatus having a single set of quadrature mixers that downconvert a channel of interest from RF to a near-baseband passband, the apparatus comprising:
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(a) a local oscillator configured to generate a local oscillator signal; (b) a RF mixer responsive to the local oscillator signal and the channel of interest, wherein the mixer frequency-translates the channel of interest to the near-baseband passband; and (c) a variable bandpass filter responsive to control inputs and configured to fine-tune the channel of interest by passing a range of frequencies from the near-baseband passband. - View Dependent Claims (32, 33, 34)
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35. A RF signal tuning method used in a receiver having a single set of quadrature mixers that downconvert a channel of interest from RF to a near-baseband passband, comprising:
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(a) receiving the channel of interest from a RF signal channelized spectrum having a predetermined channel spacing; (b) frequency translating the channel of interest by mixing the RF signal with a first local oscillator signal having a frequency that is one of a set of local oscillator frequencies, to within the near-baseband passband that has a bandwidth that is about the channel spacing; and (c) further translating the frequency-translated channel of interest by mixing the frequency-translated channel of interest with a second local oscillator signal. - View Dependent Claims (36, 37)
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38. A receiver apparatus that tunes a channel of interest from a channelized spectrum having a predetermined channel spacing, the apparatus having a single set of quadrature mixers that downconvert a channel of interest from RF to a near-baseband passband, comprising:
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(a) a first local oscillator configured to generate a first local oscillator signal; (b) a RF first mixer, responsive to the first local oscillator signal and the channel of interest, that frequency-translates the channel of interest to within the near-baseband passband; (d) a variable bandpass filter responsive to control inputs and configured to select a portion of the near-baseband passband; and (e) a baseband translator configured to translate the frequency-translated channel of interest to baseband. - View Dependent Claims (39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46)
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Specification