Up-conversion based on gated information signal

• US 8,233,855 B2
• Filed: 11/10/2009
• Issued: 07/31/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: ParkerVision, Inc.
• Original Assignee: ParkerVision, Inc.
• Inventors: Sorrells, David F., Bultman, Michael J., Cook, Robert W., Looke, Richard C., Moses, Charley D. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): TRAN, CONGVAN
• Application Number:
  US12/615,326
• Publication Number:
  US 20100056084A1
• Time in Patent Office: 994 Days
• Field of Search: 455/115, 455/118, 455/20, 455/22, 455/130, 455/131, 455/190, 455208-210, 455/91
• US Class Current: 455/118
• CPC Class Codes: H03C 1/62 Modulators in which amplitude of carrier component in output is dependent upon strength of modulating signal, e.g. no carrier output when no modulating signal is present H03C1/28 - H03C1/34, H03C1/46, H03C1/48 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H03D 7/00 Transference of modulation from one carrier to another, e.g. frequency-changing H03D9/00, H03D11/00 take precedence; dielectric amplifiers, magnetic amplifiers, parametric amplifiers used as a frequency-changers H03F
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/04 Circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2001/0491 with frequency synthesizers, frequency converters or modulators
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/12 Frequency diversity

Abstract

A method and system is described wherein an information signals is gated at a frequency that is a sub-harmonic of the frequency of the desired output signal. In the modulation embodiments, the information signal is modulated as part of the up-conversion process. In a first modulation embodiment, one information signal is phase modulated onto the carrier signal as part of the up-conversion process. In a second modulation embodiment, two information signals are multiplied, and, as part of the up-conversion process, one signal is phase modulated onto the carrier and the other signal is amplitude modulated onto the carrier. In a third modulation embodiment, one information signal is phase modulated onto the “I” phase of the carrier signal as part of the up-conversion process and a second information signal is phase modulated onto the “Q” phase of the carrier as part of the up-conversion process. In a fourth modulation embodiment, four information signals are phase and amplitude modulated onto the “I” and “Q” phases of the carrier as part of the up-conversion process. There are at least two implementations of each of the aforementioned embodiments.

Claims

1. A method for up-conversion, comprising:

generating a combined signal from a first information signal and a second information signal; and

gating the combined signal as a function of a control signal, wherein the gating comprises receiving the combined signal from a first impedance module and inputting the gated combined signal to a second impedance module, and outputting a harmonically-rich signal from the second impedance module, wherein gating through the second impedance module comprises outputting the harmonically-rich signal through a capacitor coupled to a resistor in series.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

filtering at least one desired harmonic of a plurality of harmonics of the harmonically-rich signal.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the gating comprises receiving the combined signal through an inductor.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the gating comprises phase modulating the harmonically-rich signal as a function of the first information signal and amplitude modulating the harmonically-rich signal as a function of the second information signal.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the gating comprises generating the control signal from an oscillating signal with a frequency that is a sub-harmonic of a desired output frequency.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the gating comprises receiving the combined signal at a drain or source terminal of a MOSFET transistor and receiving the control signal at a gate terminal of the MOSFET transistor.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the harmonically-rich signal is both phase and amplitude modulated.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein the second impedance module is a differentiation circuit.

6. A method for up-conversion, comprising:

gating a first information signal as a function of an in-phase control signal, wherein the gating the first information signal comprises receiving the first information signal from a first impedance module and outputting an in-phase harmonically-rich signal through a second impedance module; and

gating a second information signal as a function of a phase-shifted control signal, wherein the gating the second information signal comprises receiving the second information signal from a third impedance module and outputting a quadrature-phase harmonically-rich signal through a fourth impedance module.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

generating the in-phase control signal from an oscillating signal, wherein the inphase control signal has a first frequency and a first phase; and

generating the phase-shifted control signal from a phase-shifted oscillating signal, wherein the phase-shifted control signal has a second frequency and a second phase.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

combining the in-phase harmonically-rich signal and the quadrature-phase harmonically rich signal to generate a combined signal; and

filtering at least one desired harmonic of a plurality of harmonics of the combined signal.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein:

the gating the first information signal comprises opening and closing a first switch as a function of the in-phase control signal; and

the gating the second information signal comprises opening and closing a second switch as a function of the phase-shifted control signal.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein the gating the first information signal comprises outputting the in-phase harmonically-rich signal that is phase modulated as a function of the first information signal.

11. The method of claim 6, wherein the gating the second information signal comprises outputting the quadrature-phase harmonically-rich signal that is phase modulated as a function of the second information signal.

12. A method for up-conversion, comprising:

generating a first combined signal from a first information signal and a second information signal;

gating the first combined signal as a function of an in-phase control signal, wherein the gating the first combined signal comprises receiving the first combined signal from a first impedance module and outputting an in-phase harmonically-rich signal through a second impedance module;

generating a second combined signal from a third information signal and a fourth information signal; and

gating the second combined signal as a function of a phase-shifted control signal, wherein the gating the second combined signal comprises receiving the second combined signal from a third impedance module and outputting a quadrature-phase harmonically rich signal through a fourth impedance module.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

generating the in-phase control signal from an oscillating signal, wherein the in phase control signal has a first frequency and a first phase; and

generating the phase-shifted control signal from a phase-shifted oscillating signal, wherein the phase-shifted control signal has a second frequency and a second phase.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

combining the in-phase harmonically-rich signal and the quadrature-phase harmonically rich signal to generate a combined signal; and

filtering at least one desired harmonic of a plurality of harmonics of the combined signal.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein:

the gating the first combined signal comprises receiving the first combined signal through a first inductor; and

the gating the second combined signal comprises receiving the second combined signal through a second inductor.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein:

the gating the first combined signal comprises outputting the in-phase harmonically-rich signal through a first capacitor coupled to a first resistor in series; and

the gating the second combined signal comprises outputting the quadrature-phase harmonically-rich signal through a second capacitor coupled to a second resistor in series.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein:

the gating the first combined signal comprises opening and closing a first switch as a function of the in-phase control signal; and

the gating the second combined signal comprises opening and closing a second switch as a function of the phase-shifted control signal.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein the gating the first combined signal comprises phase modulating the in-phase harmonically-rich signal as a function of the first information signal and amplitude modulating the in-phase harmonically-rich signal as a function of the second information signal.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein the gating the second combined signal comprises phase modulating the quadrature-phase harmonically rich signal as a function of the third information signal and amplitude modulating the quadrature-phase harmonically rich signal as a function of the fourth information signal.

23. A method for up-conversion, comprising:

generating a combined signal from a first information signal and a second information signal;

gating the combined signal as a function of a control signal, wherein the gating comprises receiving the combined signal from a first impedance module;

inputting the gated combined signal to a second impedance module;

generating a harmonically-rich signal as an output from the second impedance module, wherein gating through the second impedance module comprises outputting the harmonically-rich signal through a capacitor coupled to a resistor; and

selecting at least one desired harmonic of the harmonically-rich signal for use as an up-converted signal.

24. An apparatus for performing up-conversion, comprising:

a combined signal generator that generates a combined signal from a first information signal and a second information signal;

a switch that gates the combined signal as a function of a control signal, wherein the gating comprises receiving the combined signal from a first impedance module;

a signal path that allows the gated combined signal to be input to a second impedance module;

a signal generator that generates a harmonically-rich signal as an output from the second impedance module; and

a circuit that selects at least one desired harmonic of the harmonically-rich signal for use as an up-converted signal.

25. An apparatus for performing up-conversion, comprising:

a first gating module that gates a first information signal as a function of an in-phase control signal, wherein the gating the first information signal comprises receiving the first information signal from a first impedance module and outputting an in-phase harmonically-rich signal through a second impedance module; and

a second gating module that gates a second information signal as a function of a phase-shifted control signal, wherein the gating the second information signal comprises receiving the second information signal from a third impedance module and outputting a quadrature-phase harmonically-rich signal through a fourth impedance module.