Radio system and a method for relaying packetized radio signals

• US 9,397,396 B2
• Filed: 04/01/2009
• Issued: 07/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Kathrein-Werke KG. (Kathrein SE)
• Inventors: Kenington, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): Banks Harold, Marsha D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): WYLLIE, CHRISTOPHER T
• Application Number:
  US12/416,626
• Publication Number:
  US 20100254299A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,666 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/267 Phased-array testing or checking devices
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/3247 using feedback acting on predistortion circuits H03F1/3264 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/3282 Acting on the phase and the amplitude of the input signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/21 for calibration; for correcting measurements
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/063 Parameters other than those covered in groups H04B7/0623 - H04B7/0634, e.g. channel matrix rank or transmit mode selection

Abstract

The present invention provides a radio system and a method for relaying packetized radio signals. The radio system comprises at least one transmit path, a base band calibration signal generator for generating a base band calibration signal, a digital predistortion unit, a calibration unit and a feedback path. The feedback path is commonly used by the digital predistortion unit and the calibration unit for feeding back a feedback signal. The feedback signal is adapted to update at least one of phase and amplitude changes and the digital predistortion. The present invention further relates to a method for relaying packetized radio signals. The method is capable of updating the digital predistortion as well as adapted for an updating of the phase and amplitude changes. The updating of the digital predistortion and the updating of the phase and amplitude changes is implemented using the feedback signal. The present invention further relates to a computer program product for the manufacture of the radio system. The present invention further relates to a computer program product for the execution of the method.

Claims

1. A radio system for relaying packetized radio signals, the radio system comprising:

at least one transmit path adapted to forward a packetized payload signal as a transmit signal, the at least one transmit path comprising a coupler for extracting a coupled transmit signal out of the transmit signal,

a single synchronization unit for extracting a temporal order of the packetized payload signal and providing a clocking signal from the packetized payload signal,

a base band calibration signal generator adapted to insert a continuous base band calibration signal into the packetized payload signal, the base band calibration signal being synchronized to the clocking signal, so that the continuous base band signal is synchronized to the packetized payload signal

a digital predistortion unit adapted to apply a digital predistortion to the packetized payload signal for linearising a transfer characteristic of the radio system,

a calibration unit adapted to apply phase and amplitude changes to the at least one transmit path,

a feedback path commonly used by the digital predistortion unit and the calibration unit for feeding back a feedback signal, wherein at least one of the phase and amplitude changes and the digital predistortion is adapted using the said feedback signal

a calibration signal modulator for transforming the base band calibration signal into a calibration signal for calibrating the feedback path, wherein the digital predistortion unit updates the digital predistortion in response to the feedback signal,

wherein the calibration signal is forwarded as the feedback signal, wherein the calibration signal comprises a signal change portion pertaining to the calibration of the phase and amplitude changes, wherein the signal change portion is provided in at least one of a frequency outside of a frequency band used in connection with the digital predistortion or in the form of a narrow band signal of vanishing value.

2. The radio system according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the phase and amplitude changes and the digital predistortions is adaptable using correlations of at least two of the packetized payload signal, the base band calibration signal and the feedback signal.

3. The radio system according to claim 1, wherein the base band calibration signal is concurrently used by the calibration unit and the digital predistortion unit.

4. The radio system according to claim 1, further comprising a calibration update module for updating the phase and amplitude changes.

5. The radio system according to claim 1, further comprising a digital predistortion update module for updating the digital predistortion.

6. The radio system according to claim 1, further comprising a feedback signal demodulator for receiving the feedback signal.

7. The radio system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one transmit path is terminated by an antenna element.

8. The radio system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one transmit path further comprises a digital to analogue converter.

9. The radio system according to claim 8, wherein the digital to analogue converter comprises a sigma delta digital to analogue converter.

10. The radio system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one transmit path further comprises an amplifier for amplifying the transmit signal.

11. The radio system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one transmit path further comprises a filter filtering the transmit signal.

12. The radio system according to claim 11, wherein the filter comprises a duplex filter.

13. The radio system according to claim 1, further comprising a combiner for combining the coupled transmit signals and the calibration signal as the feedback signal into the feedback path.

14. The radio system according to claim 1, further comprising a suppressor for selectively suppressing at least an individual one of the coupled transmit signal.

15. The radio system according to claim 14, wherein the supressor comprises at least one of:

an RF switch and a variable attenuator.

16. The radio system according to claim 15, wherein at least one of the following elements is implemented on a chip:

the calibration unit, the predistortion unit, the calibration update module, the digital predistortion update module, the base band calibration signal generator, the digital to analogue converter, the calibration signal modulator, the synchronization module and the feedback signal demodulator.

17. The radio system according to claim 16 wherein the chip comprises a digital signal processor (DSP).

25. Computer program product embodied on a non-transitory computer-readable medium and the non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising executable instructions for the manufacture of the radio system according to claim 1.

18. A method for relaying packetized radio signals, the method comprising:

providing a packetized payload signal,

extracting a temporal order of the packetized signal and providing a clocking signal

generating a continuous base band calibration signal adapted to be inserted into the packetized payload signal, wherein the continuous base band calibration signal is in synchronization with said clocking signal,

applying a digital predistortion to the packetized payload signal,

applying phase and amplitude changes to at least one transmit path,

forwarding the packetized payload signal as a transmit signal along at least one transmit path,

feeding back a feedback signal, wherein the calibration signal is forwarded as the feedback signal,

updating the digital predistortion in response to the feedback signal, and

updating the phase and amplitude changes in response to the feedback signal

modulating the base band calibration signal to yield a calibration signal and feeding back the calibration signal as the feedback signal,

wherein the calibration signal comprises a signal change portion pertaining to the calibration of the phase and amplitude changes, wherein the signal change portion is provided in at least one of a frequency outside of a frequency band used in connection with the digital predistortion or in the form of a narrow band signal of vanishing value.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein at least one of the updating of the digital predistortions and the updating the phase and amplitude changes comprises using correlation methods.

20. The method according to claim 18, wherein the forwarding of the packetized payload signal as a transmit signal along the at least one transmit path further comprises:

digital to analogue converting the transmit signal,

amplifying the transmit signal,

filtering the transmit signal,

extracting a coupled transmit signal from the at least one transmit path.

21. The method according to claim 18 further comprising:

feeding back a combination of the coupled transmit signals and the calibration signal as the feedback signal.

22. The method according to claim 18, wherein the feeding back of the feedback signal into the feedback path comprises:

receiving the feedback signal at a feedback signal demodulator,

generating a base band feedback signal responsive to the receiving.

23. The method according to claim 18, wherein the updating of the digital predistortion comprises:

comparing the payload signal and the base band feedback signal,

extracting differences between the payload signal and the base band feedback signal,

checking if the differences are below a threshold, and

updating the digital predistortion responsive to the checking.

24. The method according to claim 18, wherein the updating of the phase and amplitude changes comprises:

correlating the payload and the base band feedback signal,

extracting transmit deviations,

checking whether the transmit deviations are above a threshold, and

updating the phase and amplitude changes responsive to the checking.

26. Computer program product embodied on a non-transitory computer-readable medium and the non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising executable instructions for the execution of the method for relaying radio signals according to claim 18.