Direct conversion receiver employing subharmonic frequency translator architecture and related preprocessor
AssigneeSkyworks Solutions, Inc.
InventorsAlyosha C. Molnar, Rahul Magoon
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Abstract
A direct conversion receiver for receiving a first input signal and directly downconverting it to baseband frequencies. The receiver includes a frequency translator which is responsive to a phase-split input signal having 2n components, wherein n is an integer greater than 1. The phase-split signal has a period T which is about n times the period of the first input. The frequency translator alternates, at a rate of about 2n/T, between switching the first input signal to a first output, and switching the first signal to a second output. A preprocessor is available to improve the switching characteristics of the phase-split input signal.
Claims30
A circuit for improving switching characteristics of a phase-split input signal having 2n components, wherein n is an integer greater than 1, comprising:
- limiter circuitry for limiting the components of the input signal to produce a limited phase-split input signal;
- and
- arithmetic circuitry for arithmetically combining the components of the limited phase-split signal to produce an output phase-split signal, the output signal having 2n components which transition between first and second states at crossover points of the components of the input signal.
A method of improving the switching characteristics of a phase-split input signal having 2n components, wherein n is an integer greater than 1, comprising:
- limiting the components of the input signal to produce a phase-split signal;
- and
- arithmetically combining the components of the limited signal to produce a phase-split output signal having 2n components which transition between first and second states at crossover points of the components of the input signal.
A circuit for improving switching characteristics of a phase-split input signal having 2n components, wherein n is an integer greater than 1, and also having a period T, comprising:
- at least one input for receiving the components of the phase-split input signal;
- and
- processing circuitry for producing, responsive to the phase-split input signal, a phase-split output signal, also having 2n components, wherein, for each substantially non-overlapping subperiod of duration T/2n of the period T, 1) only one of the components of the output signal is asserted at a time, and a different one of the output components is asserted in each of the subperiods;
- and 2) the transitions between first and second states for each of the components of the output signal occur at crossover points of the components of the input signal.
A method for improving switching characteristics of a phase-split input signal having 2n components, wherein n is an integer greater than 1, and also having a period T comprising:
- receiving the components of the phase-split input signal;
- and
- producing, responsive to the phase-split input signal, a phase-split output signal, also having 2n components, wherein, for each substantially non-overlapping subperiod of duration T/2n of the period T, 1) only one of the components of the output signal is asserted at a time, and a different one of the output components is asserted in each of the subperiods;
- and 2) the transitions between first and second states for each of the components of the output signal occur at crossover points of the components of the input signal.
A circuit for improving switching characteristics of a phase-split input signal having 2n components, wherein n is an integer greater than 1, comprising:
- limiter means for limiting the components of the input signal to produce a limited phase-split input signal;
- and
- arithmetic means for arithmetically combining the components of the limited phase-split signal to produce an output phase-split signal, the components of the output signal having 2n components which transition between first and second states at crossover points of the components of the input signal.
A method of improving the switching characteristics of a phase-split input signal having 2n components, wherein n is an integer greater than 1, comprising:
- a step for limiting the components of the input signal to produce a phase-split signal;
- and
- a step for arithmetically combining the components of the limited signal to produce a phase-split output signal having 2n components which transition between first and second states at crossover points of the components of the input signal.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.