Wideband quadrature error correction

• US 9,300,444 B2
• Filed: 07/25/2013
• Issued: 03/29/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Analog Devices, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Analog Devices, Inc.
• Inventors: Hormis, Raju, Bal, Steven R., Gard, Kevin Glenn, Fan, Jianxun, McLaurin, David J., Montalvo, Antonio
• Primary Examiner(s): Timory, Kabir A
• Application Number:
  US13/951,341
• Publication Number:
  US 20150030102A1
• Time in Patent Office: 978 Days
• Field of Search: 375/296, 375/298, 375/346, 375/297, 375/324, 375/254
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/336 A I/Q, i.e. phase quadrature, modulator or demodulator being used in an amplifying circuit
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2203/45512 the FBC comprising one or more capacitors, not being switched capacitors, and being coupled between the LC and the IC
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/245 with semiconductor devices only
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/45475 using IC blocks as the active amplifying circuit
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/14 of the whole transmission and reception path, e.g. self-test loop-back
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/17 Detection of non-compliance or faulty performance, e.g. response deviations H04B17/18 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/18 Monitoring during normal operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/21 for calibration; for correcting measurements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/243 at the transmitter, using a loop-back
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/364 Arrangements for overcoming imperfections in the modulator, e.g. quadrature error or unbalanced I and Q levels
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/366 Arrangements for compensating undesirable properties of the transmission path between the modulator and the demodulator

Abstract

A transmission module is provided that includes a transmitter, a loopback receiver, and a QEC controller. In a first state, the QEC controller calibrates the loopback receiver to remove quadrature imbalance in the loopback receiver. In a second state, a communication pathway is provided between the transmitter and the loopback receiver, and the QEC controller identifies quadrature imbalance in the transmitter based at least one a comparison of the data signals at the output of the loopback receiver with data signals at the input of the transmitter. Based on the comparison, the QEC controller can adjust one or more characteristics of the transmitter to correct quadrature errors in the transmitter.

Claims

1. A transmission system comprising:

a switch circuit;

a transmitter communicatively coupled to the switch circuit;

a loopback receiver communicatively coupled to the switch circuit;

a calibration circuit communicatively coupled to the switch circuit and configured to output a training data signal; and

a controller communicatively coupled to the loopback receiver and the transmitter,

wherein in a first state, the switch circuit is configured to provide a first communication pathway between an output of the calibration circuit and an input of the loopback receiver such that the loopback receiver receives the training data signal and the switch circuit does not provide a second communication pathway between the output of the transmitter and the input of the loopback receiver, and the controller is configured to identify and correct quadrature imbalance in the loopback receiver based at least on a comparison of the output of the loopback receiver with an expected output,

wherein in a second state, the switch circuit is configured to provide the second communication pathway between the output of the transmitter and the input of the loopback receiver such that the loopback receiver receives a transmitter-processed data signal and the switch circuit does not provide the first communication pathway between the output of the calibration circuit and the input of the loopback receiver, wherein the transmitter-processed data signal is transmitted by the transmitter, and the controller is configured to;

identify quadrature imbalance in the transmitter based at least in part on a comparison of a loopback receiver-processed data signal received from the loopback receiver with a buffered data signal that corresponds to the transmitter-processed data signal prior to being processed and transmitted by the transmitter, wherein the loopback receiver-processed data signal and the buffered data signal each comprise an in-phase data signal and a quadrature data signal, and

adjust one or more characteristics of the transmitter to correct the identified quadrature imbalance present in the transmitter based at least in part on the comparison.

2. A transmission system comprising:

a transmitter;

a loopback receiver; and

a controller configured to;

in a first mode, calibrate the loopback receiver to account for quadrature imbalance in the loopback receiver, wherein in the first mode, a switch circuit provides a first communication pathway between an output of a calibration circuit and an input of the loopback receiver such that the loopback receiver receives a training data signal and the switch circuit does not provide a second communication pathway between an output of the transmitter and the input of the loopback receiver, and

in a second mode;

receive a loopback receiver-processed data signal from the calibrated loopback receiver that corresponds to a transmitter-processed data signal that is processed by the receiver,

identify quadrature imbalance in the transmitter based at least in part on a comparison of the loopback receiver-processed data signal received from the calibrated loopback receiver with a buffered data signal that corresponds to the transmitter-processed data signal prior to being processed by the transmitter, wherein the loopback receiver-processed data signal and the buffered data signal each comprise an in-phase data signal and a quadrature data signal, and

adjust at least one of one or more filters or one or more long oscillation delays of the transmitter to correct the identified quadrature imbalance based at least in part on the comparison, wherein in the second mode, the switch circuit provides a second communication pathway between an output of the transmitter and the input of the loopback receiver such that the loopback receiver receives a transmitter-processed data signal and the switch circuit does not provide the first communication pathway between the output of the calibration circuit and the input of the loopback receiver.

3. The transmission system of claim 2, wherein the switch circuit comprises:

at least one of a first buffer and a first switch in a signal path between the output of the calibration circuit and the input of the loopback receiver; and

at least one of a second buffer and a second switch in a signal path between the output of the transmitter and the input of the loopback receiver.

4. The transmission system of claim 3, wherein the switch circuit further comprises a loopback filter configured to filter higher-order harmonic signals in the transmitter-processed data signals.

5. The transmission system of claim 2, wherein the controller is configured to:

identify the quadrature imbalance present in the loopback receiver based at least in part on a comparison of a training data signal processed by the loopback receiver with an expected output data signal, and

adjust one or more characteristics of the loopback receiver based at least in part on the identified quadrature imbalance.

6. The transmission system of claim 5, wherein the controller is further configured to adjust at least one of a local oscillator delay of the loopback receiver and one or more filters of the loopback receiver to adjust one or more characteristics of the loopback receiver.

7. The transmission system of claim 2, wherein the quadrature imbalance in the transmitter comprises phase error and amplitude error.

8. The transmission system of claim 7, wherein the phase error comprises baseband frequency independent phase error and baseband frequency dependent phase error.

9. The transmission system of claim 8, wherein to correct the baseband frequency independent phase error, the controller is configured to adjust at least one of a complex digital filter and a local oscillator delay in a local oscillator circuit.

10. The transmission system of claim 9, wherein to adjust the local oscillator delay, the controller is further configured to adjust at least one of a variable capacitor, a variable resistor, and a current starved inverter.

11. The transmission system of claim 8, wherein to correct baseband frequency dependent phase error, the controller is configured to adjust at least one of a complex digital filter and a baseband filter delay.

12. The transmission system of claim 11, wherein to adjust a baseband filter delay the controller is configured to adjust at least one of a variable capacitor, a variable resistor, a digital filter, and a voltage controlled varactor.

13. An electronically-implemented method for quadrature error correction comprising:

in a first mode, calibrating a loopback receiver to account for quadrature imbalance in the loopback receiver, wherein in the first mode, a switch circuit provides a first communication pathway between an output of a calibration circuit and an input of a loopback receiver such that the loopback receiver receives a training data signal and the switch circuit does not provide a second communication pathway between an output of a transmitter and the input of the loopback receiver; and

in a second mode;

receiving, from the calibrated loopback receiver, a loopback receiver-processed data signal that corresponds to a transmitter-processed data signal that has been processed by the calibrated loopback receiver;

identifying quadrature imbalance in the transmitter based at least in part on a comparison of the loopback receiver-processed data signal received from the calibrated loopback receiver with a buffered data signal that corresponds to the transmitter-processed data signal prior to being processed by the transmitter, wherein the loopback receiver-processed data signal and the buffered data signal each comprise an in-phase data signal and a quadrature data signal; and

adjusting one or more characteristics of the transmitter to correct the identified quadrature imbalance based at least in part on the comparison, wherein in the second mode, the switch circuit provides a second communication pathway between the output of the transmitter and the input of the loopback receiver such that the loopback receiver receives a transmitter-processed data signal and the switch circuit does not provide the first communication pathway between the output of the calibration circuit and the input of the loopback receiver.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein adjusting one or more characteristics of the loopback receiver comprises adjusting at least one of a local oscillator delay of the loopback receiver and one or more filters of the loopback receiver.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the quadrature imbalance in the transmitter comprises phase error and amplitude error.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the phase error comprises baseband frequency independent phase error and baseband frequency dependent phase error.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising adjusting a local oscillator delay in a local oscillator circuit to correct the baseband frequency independent phase error.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising adjusting a baseband filter delay to correct baseband frequency dependent phase error.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein adjusting the baseband filter delay comprises adjusting at least one of a variable capacitor, a variable resistor, a digital filter, and a voltage controlled varactor.