Method and apparatus of a fast digital automatic gain control circuit

• US 6,968,166 B2
• Filed: 01/22/2002
• Issued: 11/22/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/22/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: George L. Yang
• Original Assignee: George L. Yang
• Inventors: Yang, George L.
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, LANA N
• Application Number:
  US10/054,094
• Publication Number:
  US 20030139160A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,400 Days
• Field of Search: 455/232.1, 455/234.1, 455/234.2, 455/240.1, 455/250.1, 455/226.1, 455/226.2, 455/254, 455/230, 455/241.1, 455/242.2, 455/245.1, 375/345, 330/278
• US Class Current: 455/234.1
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 3/3036 in high-frequency amplifiers or in frequency-changers H03G3/3052, H03G3/32, H03G3/34 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H03M 1/185 the determination of the range being based on more than one digital output value, e.g. on a running average, a power estimation or the rate of change
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/52 using AGC [Automatic Gain Control] circuits or amplifiers

Abstract

An automatic gain control circuit with a very wide operational range, less hardware, and faster response, and more flexibility includes a signal strength estimator, a gain adjusting factor device and a multiplier. After the signal strength estimator finds signal strength, the gain adjusting factor device will generate a gain adjusting factor corresponding to the signal strength. Then the multiplier will update gain by multiplying it the gain adjusting factor.

Claims

1. An automatic gain control circuit comprising:

an amplifier having at least a received signal and an analog gain control signal as separate inputs, wherein said amplifier amplifies said received signal by an amplification factor to generate an amplified analog signal;

an analog-to-digital converter configured to convert said amplified analog signal into an amplified digital signal;

a signal strength estimator configured to measure signal strength of said amplified digital signal;

a gain adjusting factor device configured to generate a gain adjusting factor;

a multiplier configured to multiply a digital gain control signal by said gain adjusting factor; and

a digital-to-analog converter configured to convert the digital gain control signal into said analog gain control signal,

whereby said gain adjusting factor device generates said gain adjusting factor according to said signal strength, and

whereby said analog gain control signal determines said amplification factor.

2. The automatic gain control circuit according to claim 1, further comprising:

a mapping device configured to map a signal into a different signal; and

a delay device configured to insert predefined delay for a loop.

3. The automatic gain control circuit according to claim 1, wherein said gain adjusting factor device comprises means for generating the gain adjusting factor based on a predetermined relation between the signal strength and a reference gain adjusting factor.

4. The automatic gain control circuit according to claim 3, wherein said predetermined relation is described by one from a group consisting of a mathematical formula, a curve, and a set of number pairs.

5. The automatic gain control circuit according to claim 1, wherein said gain adjusting factor device comprises means for generating the gain adjusting factor inversely proportional to said signal strength.

6. The automatic gain control circuit according to claim 1, wherein said gain adjusting factor device has signal strength, a plurality of reference signal strengths, and a plurality of reference gain adjusting factors as input and the gain adjusting factor as its output.

7. The adjusting factor device according to claim 6, further comprising:

a comparing logic circuit configured to generate an index according to the measured signal strength; and

a selecting logic circuit configured to select the gain adjusting factor from the plurality of reference gain adjusting factors according to said index.

8. A method for automatically varying a gain control signal for a receiver, comprising the steps of:

a) amplifying a received signal according to an adjustable amplification factor to generate an amplified analog signal, wherein said adjustable amplification factor is determined by an analog gain control signal;

b) converting said amplified analog signal from analog format into an amplified digital signal;

c) calculating signal strength of said amplified digital signal;

d) generating a gain adjusting factor based on a predefined relation between signal strength and a reference gain adjusting factor;

e) updating a digital gain control signal by multiplying said digital gain control signal by said gain adjusting factor; and

f) converting said digital gain control signal to said analog gain control signal.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein said step of generating a gain adjusting factor generates the gain adjusting factor according to a mathematics formula describing a relation between the signal strength and a reference gain adjusting factor.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein said step of generating a gain adjusting factor generates the gain adjusting factor based on a set of number pairs describing a relation between the signal strength and a reference gain adjusting factor.

11. The method according to claim 8, wherein said step of updating a digital gain control signal updates said digital gain control signal by making use of a relation of new gain versus current and previous signal strengths and current and previous gains.