Wireless transmission system, wireless communication device, and wireless communication method

• US 10,447,514 B2
• Filed: 01/30/2018
• Issued: 10/15/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kawasaki, Kenichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Bayard, Emmanuel
• Application Number:
  US15/883,454
• Publication Number:
  US 20180176054A1
• Time in Patent Office: 623 Days
• Field of Search: 375219-222, 375354-359
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/40 Circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/04 Modulator circuits; Transmitter circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/122 using digital generation of carrier signals digital function generators G06F1/02, H04L17/10; generating pulses having stepped portions using digital techniques H03K4/026
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/20 Modulator circuits; Transmitter circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/365 Modulation using digital generation of the modulated carrier (not including modulation of a digitally generated carrier)

Abstract

A wireless transmission system includes: a communication unit for transmission; and a communication unit for reception. The communication units for transmission and reception are housed in a housing of the same electronic apparatus, or the communication unit for transmission is housed in a housing of first electronic apparatus and the communication unit for reception is housed in a housing of second electronic apparatus and a wireless signal transmission path enabling wireless information transmission between the communication units is formed between the communication units when the first and the second electronic apparatus are disposed at given positions to be integrated with each other. The communication unit for transmission includes a first carrier signal generating unit and a first frequency converter, and the communication unit for reception includes a second carrier signal generating unit, and a second frequency converter.

Claims

1. A wireless transmission system comprising:

a transmission unit; and

a reception unit,

wherein the transmission unit includes a first carrier signal generating circuitry configured to generate a modulation carrier signal, and a first frequency converter configured to carry out frequency conversion of a transmission-subject signal by the modulation carrier signal generated by the first carrier signal generating circuitry to generate a modulated signal,

wherein the transmission unit is configured to transmit the modulated signal using a wireless signal transmission path configured for wireless information transmission between the transmission unit and the reception unit, and

wherein the reception unit includes a second carrier signal generating circuitry configured to generate a demodulation carrier signal locked with the modulation carrier signal generated by the first carrier signal generating circuitry through injection of a signal received through the wireless signal transmission path, and a second frequency converter configured to carry out frequency conversion of the modulated signal using the demodulation carrier signal generated by the second carrier signal generating circuitry.

2. The wireless transmission system according to claim 1,

wherein the transmission unit includes a reference carrier signal processor configured to acquire a reference carrier signal, and is configured to transmit the reference carrier signal to the reception unit using the wireless signal transmission path, and

wherein the reception unit uses the second carrier signal generating circuitry to generate the demodulation carrier signal through injection of the reference carrier signal.

3. The wireless transmission system according to claim 2, wherein the reference carrier signal generating circuitry carries the reference carrier signal on a phase axis different from a modulation axis on which a transmission-subject signal of the modulated signal output from the first frequency converter is carried.

4. The wireless transmission system according to claim 2, wherein the second carrier signal generating circuitry includes:

a reception-side local oscillator configured to generate an output signal locked with the reference carrier signal injected to the reception-side local oscillator; and

a phase adjuster configured to carry out phase adjustment so that a phase of the demodulation carrier signal that is based on the output signal generated by the reception-side local oscillator and that is input to the second frequency converter corresponds with a phase of the modulated signal input to the second frequency converter.

5. The wireless transmission system according to claim 4, wherein the phase adjuster adjusts a phase of an injection-locked output signal of the reception-side local oscillator in such a way that a phase difference between an injection signal to the reception-side local oscillator and the injection-locked output signal is cancelled, when the reception-side local oscillator is operating in an injection locking mode.

6. The wireless transmission system according to claim 4, wherein the phase adjuster adjusts a phase of a component of the reference carrier signal in an output signal of the reception-side local oscillator in such a way that a phase difference between a modulation axis on which the transmission-subject signal is carried and an axis on which the reference carrier signal is carried is cancelled, when the reception-side local oscillator is operating in an amplifier mode.

7. The wireless transmission system according to claim 1, wherein the second carrier signal generating circuitry generates the demodulation carrier signal through injection of the modulated signal received via the wireless signal transmission path to the second carrier signal generating circuitry.

8. The wireless transmission system according to claim 7, wherein the reception unit includes:

a direct-current component suppressor configured to suppress a direct-current component that is included in a demodulated signal output from the second frequency converter and is attributed to the reference carrier signal.

9. The wireless transmission system according to claim 7, wherein the second carrier signal generating circuitry includes:

a reception-side local oscillator configured to generate an output signal locked with the modulated signal injected to the reception-side local oscillator; and

a phase adjuster configured to adjust a phase of an injection-locked output signal of the reception-side local oscillator in such a way that a phase difference between the injection-locked output signal and an injection signal to the reception-side local oscillator is cancelled, when the reception-side local oscillator is operating in an injection locking mode.

10. The wireless transmission system according to claim 1, wherein the transmission unit includes:

a modulation-subject signal processor configured to suppress a near-direct-current component in the transmission-subject signal to be modulated, and the first frequency converter carries out frequency conversion of a processed signal resulting from processing by the modulation-subject signal processor by the modulation carrier signal generated by the first carrier signal generating circuitry to generate the modulated signal.

11. The wireless transmission system according to claim 10, wherein the modulation-subject signal processor carries out direct-current free coding for the transmission-subject signal that is a digital signal.

12. The wireless transmission system according to claim 1, wherein the reception unit includes:

an injection locking detector configured to detect information indicating a state of injection locking in the second carrier signal generating circuitry, and at least one of the transmission unit or the reception unit includes an injection locking adjuster configured to carry out locking adjustment based on the information that is detected by the injection locking detector and indicates the state of injection locking so that the demodulation carrier signal generated by the second carrier signal generating circuitry is locked with the modulation carrier signal generated by the first carrier signal generating circuitry.

13. The wireless transmission system according to claim 1, wherein the injection locking adjuster carries out the locking adjustment by changing an amplitude of a signal to be injected to at least one of the second carrier signal generating circuitry unit or a frequency of an output signal of the second carrier signal generating circuitry in free-running oscillation of the second carrier signal generating circuitry.

14. The wireless transmission system according to claim 1, wherein the injection locking adjuster carries out the locking adjustment by changing at least one of a frequency of the modulation carrier signal generated by the first carrier signal generating circuitry or an amplitude of a signal to be transmitted over the wireless signal transmission path.

15. The wireless transmission system according to claim 1, wherein the wireless signal transmission path has a structure for transmitting a wireless signal while confining the wireless signal in a transmission path.

16. The wireless transmission system according to claim 1, wherein the carrier signal generating circuitry includes an oscillator circuit including a tank circuit, and both the oscillator circuit and the tank circuit are formed on a same semiconductor substrate.

17. The wireless transmission system according to claim 1, wherein the second frequency converter restores the transmission-subject signal by carrying out the frequency conversion by synchronous detection.

18. A wireless communication device comprising:

a carrier signal generating circuitry configured to generate a demodulation millimeter-wave-band carrier signal locked with a modulation millimeter-wave-band carrier signal through injection of a wireless signal received via a wireless signal transmission path; and

a frequency converter configured to carry out frequency conversion of a millimeter-wave-band modulated signal received via the wireless signal transmission path, wherein the carrier signal generating circuitry includes an oscillator circuit including a tank circuit, and the oscillator circuit and the tank circuit are formed on a same semiconductor substrate.