US 7,610,032 B2 · System and method for frequency translation with harmonic suppression using mixer stages

Abstract

A method for generating phase signals includes triggering a phase register to output a binary number stored in the phase register, wherein the phase register is triggered based at least in part on a voltage signal provided by a voltage controlled oscillator. The method also includes providing an input signal to a decoder, wherein the input signal is based at least in part on the binary number output by the phase register and the decoder is operable to generate phase signals in response to the input signals. The method further includes incrementing the binary number stored in the phase register and repeating the triggering and providing steps after the binary number is incremented.

Claims21

Dependent claims

A circuit for frequency translating a radio frequency signal, comprising:

a plurality of mixer stages, each mixer stage associated with a particular range of frequencies of a radio frequency signal;
and
a switching circuit operable to communicate the radio frequency signal to a selected one of the plurality of mixer stages in response to a control signal;
the selected mixer stage comprising:
a phase generation circuit operable to generate a plurality of phase signals;
at least one mixer operable to combine the radio frequency signal with one of the plurality of phase signals to generate a real part of an intermediate frequency signal, wherein the radio frequency signal is weighted;
and
at least one mixer operable to combine the radio frequency signal with one of the plurality of phase signals to generate an imaginary part of an intermediate frequency signal, wherein the radio frequency signal is weighted.

5 more elements

A harmonic suppression circuit, comprising:

a phase generation circuit operable to generate a plurality of phase signals;
a first mixer operable to combine a radio frequency signal weighted according to a first weighting factor with a first phase signal to generate a first output;
a second mixer operable to combine the radio frequency signal weighted according to a second weighting factor with a second phase signal to generate a second output;
a third mixer operable to combine the radio frequency signal weighted according to a third weighting factor with a third phase signal to generate a third output;
a fourth mixer operable to combine the radio frequency signal weighted according to a fourth weighting factor with a fourth phase signal to generate a fourth output;
a first summing circuit operable to combine the first, second, third, and fourth outputs to generate a real part of an intermediate frequency signal;
a fifth mixer operable to combine the radio frequency signal weighted according to a fifth weighting factor with the first phase signal to generate a fifth output;
a sixth mixer operable to combine the radio frequency signal weighted according to a sixth weighting factor with the second phase signal to generate a sixth output;
a seventh mixer operable to combine the radio frequency signal weighted according to a seventh weighting factor with the third phase signal to generate a seventh output;
a eighth mixer operable to combine the radio frequency signal weighted according to a eighth weighting factor with the fourth phase signal to generate a eighth output;
and
a second summing circuit operable to combine the fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth outputs to generate an imaginary part of the intermediate frequency signal.

9 more elements

A harmonic suppression circuit, comprising:

a phase generation circuit operable to generate a plurality of phase signals;
a first mixer operable to combine a radio frequency signal weighted according to a first weighting factor with a first phase signal to generate a first output;
a second mixer operable to combine the radio frequency signal weighted according to a second weighting factor with a second phase signal to generate a second output;
a third mixer operable to combine the radio frequency signal weighted according to a third weighting factor with a third phase signal to generate a third output;
a fourth mixer operable to combine the radio frequency signal weighted according to a fourth weighting factor with a fourth phase signal to generate a fourth output;
a fifth mixer operable to combine the radio frequency signal weighted according to a fifth weighting factor with a fifth phase signal to generate a fifth output;
a sixth mixer operable to combine the radio frequency signal weighted according to a sixth weighting factor with a sixth phase signal to generate a sixth output;
a seventh mixer operable to combine the radio frequency signal weighted according to a seventh weighting factor with a seventh phase signal to generate a seventh output;
an eighth mixer operable to combine the radio frequency signal weighted according to an eighth weighting factor with an eighth phase signal to generate an eighth output;
a first summing circuit operable to combine the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth outputs to generate a real part of the intermediate frequency signal;
a plurality of additional mixers, each additional mixer corresponding to one of the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth mixer and operable to combine the radio frequency signal weighted according to a particular weighting factor with a particular phase signal to generate a particular output;
and
a second summing circuit operable to combine the outputs of the additional mixers to form an imaginary part of the intermediate frequency signal.

10 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application

11/622,688Filed 12 Jan 2007 · continuation

Priority

16 Sep 2003

Published

US 2007/0117530 A124 May 2007

Granted

27 Oct 2009

Term ends

Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification5 codes

H03D 7/14
Transference of modulation from one carrier to another, e.g. frequency-changing: balanced arrangements
H03C 3/40
By converting amplitude modulation to angle modulation: using two signal paths the outputs of which have a predetermined phase difference and at…
H03D 7/00
Transference of modulation from one carrier to another
H03D
Demodulation or transference of modulation from one carrier to another

Family

Application10/663,824Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 16 Sep 2003

Application10/769,398Parent of this continuation · filed 30 Jan 2004

US 2007/0117530 A1Pre-grant publication · published 24 May 2007

US 7,164,899 B2Parent of this continuation

US 7,190,943 B2Parent of this continuation-in-part

Application10/769,398Parent of this continuation-in-part

US 2005/0059376 A1Published application

US 2005/0070242 A1Published application

US 7,610,032 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.

System and method for frequency translation with harmonic suppression using mixer stages

Life of this patent

System and method for frequency translation with harmonic suppression using mixer stages

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims21