Polar-based RF receiver

• US 8,369,807 B2
• Filed: 06/14/2011
• Issued: 02/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Darabi, Hooman, Mikhemar, Mohyee
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Duc M
• Application Number:
  US13/159,873
• Publication Number:
  US 20110299576A1
• Time in Patent Office: 602 Days
• Field of Search: 455/130, 455/334, 455/295, 455/296, 455/108, 455/110, 370/320, 370/322, 370/346
• US Class Current: 455/130
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 19/002 N-path filters
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/38 Transceivers, i.e. devices in which transmitter and receiver form a structural unit and in which at least one part is used for functions of transmitting and receiving

Abstract

A receiver includes a frequency translation bandpass filter (FTBPF) and an RF receiver section. The RF receiver section includes an amplifier section, a phase information detection module, an amplitude information detection module, and analog to digital conversion (ADC) modules. The FTBPF is operable to filter an inbound radio frequency (RF) signal to produce a filtered inbound RF signal. The amplifier section is operable to amplify the filtered inbound RF signal to produce an amplified inbound RF signal. The phase information detection module, when enabled, is operable to determine phase information from the amplified inbound RF signal. The amplitude information detection module, when enabled, is operable to determine amplitude information from the amplified inbound RF signal. A first one of the ADCs is operable to convert the phase information into digital phase information and a second one of the ADCs is operable to convert the amplitude information into digital amplitude information.

Claims

1. A receiver comprises:

a frequency translation bandpass filter (FTBPF) operable to filter an inbound radio frequency (RF) signal to produce a filtered inbound RF signal; and

an RF receiver section that includes;

an amplifier section operable to amplify the filtered inbound RF signal to produce an amplified inbound RF signal;

a phase information detection module, when enabled, operable to determine phase information from the amplified inbound RF signal;

an amplitude information detection module, when enabled, operable to determine amplitude information from the amplified inbound RF signal;

a first analog to digital conversion module, when enabled, operable to convert the phase information into digital phase information; and

a second analog to digital conversion module, when enabled, operable to convert the amplitude information into digital amplitude information.

2. The receiver of claim 1 further comprises:

a processing module operable to;

enable at least one of the phase information detection module and the amplitude information detection module based on a data modulation scheme;

convert at least one of the digital phase information and the digital amplitude information into an inbound system stream; and

convert the inbound symbol stream into inbound data.

3. The receiver of claim 1, wherein the phase information detection module comprises at least one of:

an analog phase locked loop (PLL);

a digital PLL;

an all digital PLL; and

a software PLL.

4. The receiver of claim 1, wherein the phase information detection module comprises:

normalizing module operable to convert the amplified inbound RF signal into an amplitude normalized inbound RF signal; and

a phase locked loop that includes;

a detection module operable to produce a different signal based on a difference between the normalized inbound RF signal and a feedback signal;

a loop filter operable to filter the difference signal to produce filtered difference signal;

a controlled oscillation module operable to;

generate a dithering signal based on the filtered difference signal;

generate an oscillation based on the dithering signal and a divided oscillation; and

generate the divided oscillation by dividing frequency of the oscillation by a divider value; and

an output module to determine the phase information based on the dithering signal.

5. The receiver of claim 4, wherein the controlled oscillation module comprises:

an oscillation circuit operable to generate the oscillation;

an integer divider module operable to divide frequency of the oscillation by an integer divider value to produce the divided oscillation; and

a dithering module operable to dither the divided oscillation based on the filtered difference signal to produce the dithering signal.

6. The receiver of claim 4 further comprises:

a processing module operable to;

generate a detection tuning signal based on a data modulation scheme;

provide the detection tuning signal to the detection module such that the detection module adjusts sensitivity in detecting the difference between the normalized inbound RF signal and the feedback signal.

7. The receiver of claim 1, wherein the amplitude information detection module comprises at least one of:

a peak detection module operable to;

detect amplitude peaks of the amplified inbound RF signal; and

interpret the amplitude peaks to produce peak information;

an envelop detection module operable to;

detect an amplitude envelop of the amplified inbound RF signal; and

interpret the amplitude envelop to produce envelop information; and

an interpretation module operable to interpret at least one of the peak information and the envelop information to produce the amplitude information.

8. The receiver of claim 1, wherein the amplifier section comprises at least one of:

a first low noise amplifier operable to amplify the filtered inbound RF signal to produce a first amplified inbound RF signal; and

a second low noise amplifier operable to amplify the filtered inbound RF signal to produce a second amplified inbound RF signal, wherein;

in a first mode, the first amplified inbound RF signal is provided to the phase information detection module and the second amplified inbound RF signal is provided to the amplitude information detection module; and

in a second mode, the first amplified inbound RF signal is provided to the phase information detection module and to the amplitude information detection module.

9. The receiver of claim 1 further comprises:

a front end module that includes;

an antenna tuning unit operable for coupling to an antenna and operable to provide a substantially antenna impedance matching for receiving an RF signal; and

an isolation module operable to provide isolation between a received RF signal and an outbound RF signal and to provide the received RF signal to the FTBPF as the inbound RF signal.

10. A transceiver comprises:

a front end module operable to;

receive, from an antenna assembly, a radio frequency (RF) signal to produce an inbound RF signal; and

transmit, via the antenna assembly, an outbound RF signal;

a surface acoustic wave (SAW)-less RF transmitter section operable to convert an outbound symbol stream into the outbound RF signal; and

a SAW-less RF receiver section that includes;

an amplifier section operable to amplify an inbound RF signal to produce an amplified inbound RF signal;

a modulation offset information detection module, when enabled, operable to determine modulation offset information from the amplified inbound RF signal;

an amplitude information detection module, when enabled, operable to determine amplitude information from the amplified inbound RF signal;

a first analog to digital conversion module, when enabled, operable to convert the modulation offset information into digital modulation offset information; and

a second analog to digital conversion module, when enabled, operable to convert the amplitude information into digital amplitude information.

11. The transceiver of claim 10, wherein the modulation offset information comprises at least one of:

phase modulation information;

phase shift information;

frequency modulation information; and

frequency shift information.

12. The transceiver of claim 10 further comprises:

a processing module operable to;

enable at least one of the modulation offset information detection module and the amplitude information detection module based on a data modulation scheme;

convert at least one of the modulation offset phase information and the digital amplitude information into an inbound system stream; and

convert the inbound symbol stream into inbound data.

13. The transceiver of claim 10, wherein the modulation offset information detection module comprises at least one of:

an analog phase locked loop (PLL);

a digital PLL;

an all digital PLL; and

a software PLL.

14. The transceiver of claim 10, wherein the modulation offset information detection module comprises:

normalizing module operable to convert the amplified inbound RF signal into an amplitude normalized inbound RF signal; and

a phase locked loop that includes;

a detection module operable to produce a different signal based on a difference between the normalized inbound RF signal and a feedback signal;

a loop filter operable to filter the difference signal to produce filtered difference signal;

a controlled oscillation module operable to;

generate a dithering signal based on the filtered difference signal;

generate an oscillation based on the dithering signal and a divided oscillation; and

generate the divided oscillation by dividing frequency of the oscillation by a divider value; and

an output module to determine the modulation offset information based on the dithering signal.

15. The transceiver of claim 14, wherein the controlled oscillation module comprises:

an oscillation circuit operable to generate the oscillation;

an integer divider module operable to divide frequency of the oscillation by an integer divider value to produce the divided oscillation; and

a dithering module operable to dither the divided oscillation based on the filtered difference signal to produce the dithering signal.

16. The transceiver of claim 14 further comprises:

a processing module operable to;

generate a detection tuning signal based on a data modulation scheme;

provide the detection tuning signal to the detection module such that the detection module adjusts sensitivity in detecting the difference between the normalized inbound RF signal and the feedback signal.

17. The transceiver of claim 10, wherein the amplitude information detection module comprises at least one of:

a peak detection module operable to;

detect amplitude peaks of the amplified inbound RF signal; and

interpret the amplitude peaks to produce peak information;

an envelop detection module operable to;

detect an amplitude envelop of the amplified inbound RF signal; and

interpret the amplitude envelop to produce envelop information; and

an interpretation module operable to interpret at least one of the peak information and the envelop information to produce the amplitude information.

18. A radio frequency (RF) receiver section comprises:

an amplifier section operable to amplify an inbound RF signal to produce an amplified inbound RF signal;

a modulation offset information detection module, when enabled, operable to determine modulation offset information from the amplified inbound RF signal;

an amplitude information detection module, when enabled, operable to determine amplitude information from the amplified inbound RF signal;

a first analog to digital conversion module, when enabled, operable to convert the modulation offset information into digital phase information; and

a second analog to digital conversion module, when enabled, operable to convert the amplitude information into digital amplitude information.

19. The RF receiver section of claim 18, wherein the modulation offset information comprises at least one of:

phase modulation information;

phase shift information;

frequency modulation information; and

frequency shift information.

20. The RF receiver section of claim 18, wherein the modulation offset information detection module comprises at least one of:

an analog phase locked loop (PLL);

a digital PLL;

an all digital PLL; and

a software PLL.

21. The RF receiver section of claim 18, wherein the modulation offset information detection module comprises:

normalizing module operable to convert the amplified inbound RF signal into an amplitude normalized inbound RF signal; and

a phase locked loop that includes;

a detection module operable to produce a different signal based on a difference between the normalized inbound RF signal and a feedback signal;

a loop filter operable to filter the difference signal to produce filtered difference signal;

a controlled oscillation module operable to;

generate a dithering signal based on the filtered difference signal;

generate an oscillation based on the dithering signal and a divided oscillation; and

generate the divided oscillation by dividing frequency of the oscillation by a divider value; and

an output module to determine the modulation offset information based on the dithering signal.