Method and apparatus for calibrating the sideband rejection of a receiver

• US 7,917,091 B2
• Filed: 06/28/2007
• Issued: 03/29/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Maxlinear Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Maxlinear Incorporated
• Inventors: Montemayor, Raymond, Ye, Sheng
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Duc
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHOW, CHARLES CHIANG
• Application Number:
  US11/770,596
• Publication Number:
  US 20080057899A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,370 Days
• Field of Search: 455/424, 455/425, 455/456.5, 455/456.6, 455/561, 455/550.1, 455/575.1, 455/63.1, 455/67.11, 455/67.14, 455/114.2, 455/115.1, 455/226.1, 455/232.1, 455/247.1, 455/296, 455/139, 375/345, 375/346, 375/362, 375/254, 375/235, 375230-234, 375/324, 375/349, 375/343, 375/316, 375/371, 375/344, 370/525, 370/526, 370/516, 370/519, 370/206, 370/342, 342/154, 342/380, 342/367, 342/361, 342/364, 342/366, 342/371
• US Class Current: 455/63.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/28 the receiver comprising at least one semiconductor device having three or more electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/0085 using test signal generators
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/21 for calibration; for correcting measurements

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for calibrating In-phase and Quadrature imbalance within a receiver are described. A calibration process can inject a calibration tone to an RF or IF portion of a receiver. The receiver can frequency translate the tone to distinct I and Q calibration signals. The receiver upconverts the I and Q calibration signals to complementary sidebands or images using distinct and substantially matched upconverters. The complementary sidebands are mixed together to generate an error signal. The receiver determines a phase and amplitude correction based on the error signal.

Claims

1. A method of calibrating a receiver, the method comprising:

coupling a tone to a receive signal path;

frequency converting the tone to in-phase (I) and quadrature (Q) signals;

frequency converting the I and Q signals to an intermediate frequency (IF) signal having a sideband attributable to an I/Q imbalance;

frequency converting the I and Q signals to an auxiliary IF signal having a sideband that is complementary to the sideband of the IF signal;

mixing the IF signal with the auxiliary IF signal to produce a baseband signal; and

adjusting at least one of an amplitude or a phase of at least one of the I and Q signals based on the baseband signal.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein coupling the tone to the receive signal path comprises:

generating the tone at a desired frequency; and

controlling a multiplexer to select the tone.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein coupling the tone to the receive signal path comprises coupling a tone at a frequency offset from a center frequency of a desired channel by a predetermined frequency offset.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein frequency converting the tone to I and Q signals comprises:

mixing the tone with a Local Oscillator (LO) signal to produce an in-phase baseband signal; and

mixing the tone with a quadrature LO signal to produce a quadrature baseband signal.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein frequency converting the I and Q signals to the IF signal comprises:

mixing the I signal with an IF LO to generate an IF in-phase (I) signal;

mixing the Q signal with the IF LO to generate an IF quadrature (Q) signal; and

summing the IF I signal with the IF Q signal.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein frequency converting the I and Q signals to the auxiliary IF signal comprises:

mixing the I signal with an IF LO to generate an auxiliary IF in-phase (I) signal;

mixing the Q signal with the IF LO to generate an auxiliary IF quadrature (Q) signal;

inverting the auxiliary IF I signal relative to an IF I signal to generate a complementary IF I signal; and

summing the complementary IF I signal with the auxiliary IF Q signal.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein frequency converting the I and Q signals to the auxiliary IF signal comprises:

mixing the I signal with an IF LO to generate an auxiliary IF in-phase (I) signal;

mixing the Q signal with the IF LO to generate an auxiliary IF quadrature (Q) signal;

inverting the auxiliary IF Q signal relative to an IF Q signal to generate a complementary IF Q signal; and

summing the auxiliary IF I signal with the complementary IF Q signal.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein mixing the IF signal with the auxiliary IF signal comprises mixing the IF signal with an auxiliary IF signal that is in phase with the IF signal.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein mixing the IF signal with the auxiliary IF signal comprises mixing the IF signal with an auxiliary IF signal that is in quadrature with the IF signal.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein adjusting at least one of the amplitude or the phase of at least one of the I and Q signals based on the baseband signal comprises:

comparing the baseband signal with a predetermined threshold to produce a comparison output; and

adjusting a phase of at least one of the I and Q signals based on a polarity of the comparison output.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein adjusting at least one of the amplitude or the phase of at least one of the I and Q signals based on the baseband signal comprises:

comparing the baseband signal with a predetermined threshold to produce a comparison output; and

adjusting a gain of at least one of the I and Q signals based on a polarity of the comparison output.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein adjusting at least one of the amplitude or the phase of at least one of the I and Q signals based on the baseband signal comprises adjusting a phase of the I signal by summing a quadrature signal component generated from the Q signal, wherein an amplitude of the quadrature signal component is based on the baseband signal.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein adjusting at least one of the amplitude or the phase of at least one of the I and Q signals based on the baseband signal comprises performing a binary search of a compensation control value based on the baseband signal.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein adjusting at least one of the amplitude or the phase of at least one of the I and Q signals based on the baseband signal comprises:

adjusting a value output from a first Digital to Analog Converter (DAC) that controls a phase of at least one of the I signal or the Q signal; and

adjusting a value output from a second DAC that controls an amplitude balance between the I signal and the Q signal.

15. A method of calibrating a receiver;

the method comprising;

determining a calibration event based on a channel selection from one of a plurality of channels in a received wide band signal;

deselecting the received wideband signal from a receive signal path;

coupling a tone to the receive signal path;

frequency converting the tone to a baseband in-phase (I) signal and a baseband quadrature (Q) signal;

frequency converting the I signal and the Q signal using an intermediate frequency (IF) local oscillator (LO) signal to an IF signal having a sideband attributable to an I/Q imbalance;

frequency converting the I and Q signals using the IF LO signal to an auxiliary IF signal, wherein a phase of the auxiliary IF signal relative to the IF signal is controlled to one of a plurality of predetermined phases;

mixing the IF signal with the auxiliary IF signal to produce a baseband signal; and

adjusting for at least one of a phase or amplitude imbalance in the I signal and the Q signal based on the baseband signal.

16. An apparatus for calibrating a receiver, the apparatus comprising:

a tone generator;

a multiplexer having a first input coupled to a receive signal path and a second input coupled to the tone generator, and controlled to select one of the receive signal path or the tone generator;

an in-phase (I)/quadrature (Q) downconverter coupled to the multiplexer and configured to downconvert a signal output from the multiplexer to an I signal and a Q signal;

a balance module coupled to the I/Q downconverter and configured to adjust a phase of the I signal relative to the Q signal based on a phase control signal;

an intermediate frequency (IF) local oscillator (LO);

an upconverter coupled to the balance module and the IF LO and configured to upconvert the I signal and the Q signal to an IF signal;

an auxiliary upconverter coupled to the balance module and the IF LO and configured to upconvert the I signal and the Q signal to an auxiliary IF signal having a phase relative to the phase of the IF signal selected from a plurality of predetermined phases; and

an I/Q calibration module configured to mix the IF signal with the auxiliary IF signal to generate a baseband signal, and further configured to determine a value of the phase control signal based at least in part on the baseband signal.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the multiplexer is configured to select the tone generator during at least a portion of a calibration process.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the balance module is further configured to adjust an amplitude of at least one of the I signal or the Q signal based on an amplitude control signal, and the I/Q calibration module determines the amplitude control signal based at least in part on the baseband signal.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the I/Q calibration module is configured to determine the amplitude control signal when the IF signal is in phase with the auxiliary IF signal.

20. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the I/Q calibration module is configured to determine the phase control signal when the IF signal is in quadrature with the auxiliary IF signal.

21. An apparatus for calibrating a receiver, the apparatus comprising:

means for generating a tone;

means for selecting one of an output from the means for generating the tone or a signal;

means for converting an output signal from the means for selecting to an in-phase (I) signal and a quadrature (Q) signal;

means for adjusting an amplitude and a phase of the I signal and the Q signal;

means for upconverting the I signal and the Q signal to an intermediate frequency (IF) signal;

means for upconverting the I signal and the Q signal to an auxiliary IF signal having a sideband that is complementary to a sideband of the IF signal;

means for mixing the IF signal with the auxiliary IF signal to produce a baseband signal; and

means for determining a control signal based on the baseband signal, wherein the control signal is coupled to the means for adjusting and controls the means for adjusting.