Adaptive radio transceiver with offset PLL with subsampling mixers

• US 7,904,037 B2
• Filed: 11/18/2008
• Issued: 03/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Masood, Syed, Pan, Meng-An, Rofougaran, Maryam, Chien, Hung-Ming, Rael, Jacob, Rofougaran, Ahmadreza, Wu, Stephen, Ibrahim, Brima
• Primary Examiner(s): West; Lewis G
• Application Number:
  US12/273,313
• Publication Number:
  US 20090137213A1
• Time in Patent Office: 840 Days
• Field of Search: 455/20, 455/118, 455/190.1, 455/209, 455/130, 455/210, 455/230, 4552261- 4, 327/427, 327/434
• US Class Current: 455/118
• CPC Class Codes: H03B 19/00 Generation of oscillations by non-regenerative frequency multiplication or division of a signal from a separate source transference of modulation from one carrier to another H03D7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H03B 2200/0078 generating or using signals in quadrature
• CPC Class Codes: H03B 27/00 Generation of oscillations providing a plurality of outputs of the same frequency but differing in phase, other than merely two anti-phase outputs
• CPC Class Codes: H03B 5/1215 the current source or degeneration circuit being in common to both transistors of the pair, e.g. a cross-coupled long-tailed pair
• CPC Class Codes: H03B 5/1228 the amplifier comprising one or more field effect transistors
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/26 Modifications of amplifiers to reduce influence of noise generated by amplifying elements
• 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: H03F 2203/45464 the CSC comprising one or more coils
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2203/45526 the FBC comprising a resistor-capacitor combination and being coupled between the LC and the IC
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2203/45544 the IC comprising one or more capacitors, e.g. coupling capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2203/45554 the IC comprising one or more coils
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2203/45638 the LC comprising one or more coils
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/45188 Non-folded cascode stages
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/45475 using IC blocks as the active amplifying circuit
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 11/1291 Current or voltage controlled filters
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 2011/0494 Complex filters
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 21/0001 Analogue adaptive filters
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 21/0012 Digital adaptive filters
• CPC Class Codes: H03J 2200/08 Calibration of receivers, in particular of a band pass filter
• CPC Class Codes: H03J 2200/10 : Tuning of a resonator by means of digitally controlled capacitor bank
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/14 : of the whole transmission and reception path, e.g. self-test loop-back

Abstract

An exemplary embodiment of the present invention described and shown in the specification and drawings is a transceiver with a receiver, a transmitter, a local oscillator (LO) generator, a controller, and a self-testing unit. All of these components can be packaged for integration into a single IC including components such as filters and inductors. The controller for adaptive programming and calibration of the receiver, transmitter and LO generator. The self-testing unit generates is used to determine the gain, frequency characteristics, selectivity, noise floor, and distortion behavior of the receiver, transmitter and LO generator. It is emphasized that this abstract is provided to comply with the rules requiring an abstract which will allow a searcher or other reader to quickly ascertain the subject matter of the technical disclosure. It is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or the meaning of the claims.

Claims

1. A transmitter of a wireless radio frequency (RF) communications device, the wireless RF communications device performing spread spectrum modulation, the transmitter comprising:

a complex mixer; and

a phase lock loop that is operatively coupled to the complex mixer, the phase lock loop employing CMOS technology, the phase lock loop comprising;

a filter operatively coupled to the complex mixer,

a tunable oscillator including a tuning input and an oscillator output, the oscillator output of the tunable oscillator being tunable as a function of the tuning input,

a second mixer operatively coupled to the tunable oscillator of the phase lock loop and to a local oscillator of the wireless RF communications device, and

a phase detector including a first input, a second input and an output, the first input being operatively coupled to the second mixer, the second input being operatively coupled to the filter, the output being operatively coupled to the tuning input.

2. The transmitter according to claim 1, wherein the complex mixer comprises circuitry that is configured to mix baseband quadrature signals with signals from the local oscillator of the wireless RF communications device.

3. The transmitter according to claim 1,

wherein the complex mixer comprises circuitry that upconverts baseband quadrature signals into intermediate frequency (IF) signals, and

wherein the phase lock loop upconverts the intermediate frequency signals into RF signals.

4. The transmitter according to claim 1, wherein the oscillator output of the tunable oscillator is frequency tunable.

5. The transmitter according to claim 1, wherein the second mixer of the phase lock loop is operatively coupled to a voltage controller oscillator (VCO) of the local oscillator of the wireless RF communications device.

6. The transmitter according to claim 5, wherein the VCO comprises an off-chip VCO.

7. The transmitter according to claim 1, wherein the transmitter is part of an integrated circuit chip that is part of the wireless RF communications device.

8. The transmitter according to claim 1, wherein the complex mixer, the phase detector and the second mixer are part of an integrated circuit chip that is part of the wireless RF communications device.

9. The transmitter according to claim 1, wherein the transmitter uses direct conversion circuitry during an upconversion.

10. The transmitter according to claim 1, wherein the phase lock loop comprises a charge pump that is operatively coupled between the phase detector and the tunable oscillator.

11. The transmitter according to claim 10, wherein the phase lock loop comprises a limiter operatively coupled between the second mixer and the phase detector.

12. The transmitter according to claim 11, wherein the phase lock loop comprises a band pass filter that is operatively coupled between the second mixer and the limiter.

13. The transmitter according to claim 1, wherein the phase lock loop comprises an offset phase lock loop.

14. The transmitter according to claim 1, wherein the filter comprises a loop filter.

15. The transmitter according to claim 1, wherein the wireless RF communications device employs a low intermediate frequency (IF) heterodyne architecture.

16. The transmitter according to claim 1, wherein the wireless RF communications device performs orthogonal frequency division modulation (OFDM).

17. The transmitter according to claim 1, wherein the spread spectrum modulation comprises direct sequence spread spectrum modulation.

18. The transmitter according to claim 1, wherein the spread spectrum modulation comprises frequency hopping.

19. The transmitter according to claim 1, wherein the wireless RF communications device performs local area network (LAN) communications or personal area network (PAN) communications.

20. A transmitter of a wireless radio frequency (RF) communications device, the wireless RF communications device performing orthogonal frequency division modulation (OFDM), the transmitter comprising:

a complex mixer; and

a phase lock loop that is operatively coupled to the complex mixer, the phase lock loop employing CMOS technology, the phase lock loop comprising;

a filter operatively coupled to the complex mixer,

a tunable oscillator including a tuning input and an oscillator output, the oscillator output of the tunable oscillator being tunable as a function of the tuning input,

a second mixer operatively coupled to the tunable oscillator of the phase lock loop and to a local oscillator of the wireless RF communications device, and

a phase detector including a first input, a second input and an output, the first input being operatively coupled to the second mixer, the second input being operatively coupled to the complex mixer, the output being operatively coupled to the tuning input.

21. The transmitter according to claim 20, wherein the complex mixer comprises circuitry that is configured to mix baseband quadrature signals with signals from the local oscillator of the wireless RF communications device.

22. The transmitter according to claim 20, wherein the complex mixer comprises circuitry that upconverts baseband quadrature signals into intermediate frequency signals, and wherein the phase lock loop upconverts the intermediate frequency signals into RF signals.

23. The transmitter according to claim 20, wherein the oscillator output of the tunable oscillator is frequency tunable.

24. The transmitter according to claim 20, wherein the second mixer of the phase lock loop is operatively coupled to a voltage controller oscillator (VCO) of the tunable oscillator of the wireless RF communications device.

25. The transmitter according to claim 24, wherein the VCO comprises an off-chip VCO.

26. The transmitter according to claim 20, wherein the transmitter is part of an integrated circuit of the wireless RF communications device.

27. The transmitter according to claim 20, wherein the complex mixer, the phase detector and the second mixer are part of an integrated circuit of the wireless RF communications device.

28. The transmitter according to claim 20, wherein the transmitter uses direct conversion circuitry during an upconversion.

29. The transmitter according to claim 20, wherein the phase lock loop comprises a charge pump that is operatively coupled between the phase detector and the tunable oscillator.

30. The transmitter according to claim 29, wherein the phase lock loop comprises a limiter operatively coupled between the second mixer and the phase detector.

31. The transmitter according to claim 30, wherein the phase lock loop comprises a band pass filter operatively coupled between the second mixer and the limiter.

32. The transmitter according to claim 20, wherein the phase lock loop comprises an offset phase lock loop.

33. The transmitter according to claim 20, wherein the filter comprises a loop filter.

34. The transmitter according to claim 20, wherein the wireless RF communications device employs a low intermediate frequency (IF) heterodyne architecture.

35. The transmitter according to claim 20, wherein the wireless RF communications device performs direct sequence spread spectrum modulation.

36. The transmitter according to claim 20, wherein the wireless RF communications device performs frequency hopping.

37. The transmitter according to claim 20, wherein the wireless RF communications device performs local area network (LAN) communications or personal area network (PAN) communications.