Abstract: A divider control circuit outputs a divider control signal that is meant to increase the division ratio from a first division ratio through a second division ratio greater than the first division ratio to a third division ratio greater than the second division ratio and then return the division ratio through a fourth division ratio smaller than the third division ratio to a fifth division ratio smaller than the fourth division ratio and greater than the first division ratio. Moreover, control is exerted so that the absolute value of the time rate of change of the division ratio in the increase from the second division ratio to the third division ratio is smaller than the absolute value of the time rate of change of the division ratio in the increase from the first division ratio to the second division ratio.

Abstract: A radar device includes: a first receiver antenna outputting a first reception signal; a second receiver antenna outputting a second reception signal; a third receiver antenna outputting a third reception signal; a first receiver circuit processing the first reception signal; and a second receiver circuit selecting one of the second reception signal and the third reception signal and processing the selected signal. The first receiver antenna is placed apart from the second receiver antenna in a first direction and apart from the third receiver antenna in a second direction.

Abstract: A method for controlling a radar apparatus that detects an object using frequency modulation includes: performing first reception of a radio wave in a state where transmission of a radio wave for detecting the object is stopped, to obtain a first reception signal; performing second reception of a radio wave in a state where the transmission of the radio wave is stopped, to obtain a second reception signal, after the performing of the first reception; acquiring a strength of a difference signal between the first reception signal and the second reception signal; comparing the strength with a threshold value; and starting the transmission of the radio wave in a case where the strength is equal to or less than the first threshold value in the comparison.

Abstract: In a wireless reception circuit, an LNA amplifies an input signal, and a mixer mixes the output of the LNA with a local oscillation signal. The output of the mixer is filtered by a first filter circuit, and the signal strength is detected by a first signal strength detection circuit. The output of the mixer is also filtered by a second filter circuit via an attenuator, and the signal strength is detected by a second signal strength detection circuit. The signal strength detected by the first signal strength detection circuit and the signal strength detected by the second signal strength detection circuit are added up to obtain the signal strength of the input signal.

Abstract: Disclosed is a radar apparatus including: a local oscillator for outputting a local oscillation signal; a transmitter unit; and a receiver unit. The transmitter unit includes: a transmission input configured to receive the local oscillation signal; and a transmitter configured to transmit a transmission signal based on the local oscillation signal that has been received via the transmission input. The receiver unit includes: a reception input configured to receive the local oscillation signal not via the transmission input; a receiver configured to receive a reflection wave based on the transmission signal; a cancel signal generator configured to generate a cancel signal based on the local oscillation signal that has been received via the reception input; and an adder configured to superimpose the cancel signal on a reception signal.

Abstract: A sensing method includes: (a) performing first sensing to detect presence or absence of the object in a specific detection area using a first sensor signal received by a radar sensor from the specific detection area; (b) when the presence of the object in the specific detection area is detected by the first sensing in (a), continuing the first sensing and performing second sensing to detect a motion of the object using a second sensor signal transmitted from the radar sensor to the specific detection area, the second sensor signal having a sensing rate higher than a sensing rate of the first sensor signal; and (c) when the absence of the object in the specific detection area is detected by the first sensing in (b), stopping the second sensing and continuing the first sensing.

Abstract: A divider control circuit outputs a divider control signal that is meant to increase the division ratio from a first division ratio through a second division ratio greater than the first division ratio to a third division ratio greater than the second division ratio and then return the division ratio through a fourth division ratio smaller than the third division ratio to a fifth division ratio smaller than the fourth division ratio and greater than the first division ratio. Moreover, control is exerted so that the absolute value of the time rate of change of the division ratio in the increase from the second division ratio to the third division ratio is smaller than the absolute value of the time rate of change of the division ratio in the increase from the first division ratio to the second division ratio.

Abstract: A method for controlling a radar apparatus that detects an object using frequency modulation includes: performing first reception of a radio wave in a state where transmission of a radio wave for detecting the object is stopped, to obtain a first reception signal; performing second reception of a radio wave in a state where the transmission of the radio wave is stopped, to obtain a second reception signal, after the performing of the first reception; acquiring a strength of a difference signal between the first reception signal and the second reception signal; comparing the strength with a threshold value; and starting the transmission of the radio wave in a case where the strength is equal to or less than the first threshold value in the comparison.

Abstract: Disclosed is a radar apparatus including: a local oscillator for outputting a local oscillation signal; a transmitter unit; and a receiver unit. The transmitter unit includes: a transmission input configured to receive the local oscillation signal; and a transmitter configured to transmit a transmission signal based on the local oscillation signal that has been received via the transmission input. The receiver unit includes: a reception input configured to receive the local oscillation signal not via the transmission input; a receiver configured to receive a reflection wave based on the transmission signal; a cancel signal generator configured to generate a cancel signal based on the local oscillation signal that has been received via the reception input; and an adder configured to superimpose the cancel signal on a reception signal.

Abstract: In a high-frequency amplifier for amplifying transmission and reception signals, an integrated circuit area is reduced to reduce production costs. A high-frequency amplifier (101) includes a reception signal amplifying part (102), a transmission signal amplifying part (103), and a spiral inductor (104). An output of the reception signal amplifying part (102) is connected with an output of the transmission signal amplifying part (103) to be an output terminal OUT of the high-frequency amplifier (101). The single spiral inductor (104) is connected to the output terminal OUT. This spiral inductor (104) is used as a load common to the reception signal amplifying part (102) and the transmission signal amplifying part (103). Thereby, the area of the integrated circuit is reduced, and the production cost is reduced.

Abstract: In a broadband low-noise amplifier circuit to be used in a multichannel reception system, a capacitance of a variable capacitor (9) is controlled by a resonance frequency control circuit (4) so that a resonance frequency of a load unit (2) comprising the variable capacitor (9) and an inductor (10) matches a desired RF signal frequency. Therefore, high gain and broadband can be realized at the same time without increasing power consumption, and consequently, a reception system having reduced power consumption and high sensitivity for all channels can be realized.

Abstract: A variable gain amplification circuit comprises a signal generator that has an output terminal and is able to vary an output amplitude; a variable capacitor connected between the output terminal and an AC grounded terminal; and a control circuit for controlling the output amplitude of the signal generator, and a capacitance of the variable capacitor. Therefore, unnecessary signals can be attenuated even when the gain is low, and degradation in distortion characteristics in the latter block can be suppressed.

Abstract: A mixer circuit of a receiving system, requiring low noise characteristics at lower frequency, includes a bypass current source (41) which is connected in parallel with an LO transistor (21) between an IF output terminal (33) and a drain terminal of an RF transistor (11), and a bypass current source (42) which is connected in parallel with an LO transistor (22) between an IF output terminal (34) and the drain terminal of the RF transistor (11), thereby decreasing a current flowing through the LO transistors (21, 22) without decreasing a bias current flowing through the RF transistor (11). Accordingly, it is possible to suppress flicker noises occurring from the LO transistors (21, 22) without lowering the gain of the mixer, thereby realizing a mixer circuit with excellent low frequency noise characteristics, which can improve the NF characteristics at lower frequency.

Abstract: A pseudo-image signal producing section produces a pseudo-image signal imitating an actual image signal. An amplitude detection section detects the amplitude of the pseudo-image signal having passed through a complex filter circuit. A filter control section controls an element value control section in the complex filter circuit so as to decrease the detected amplitude. The element value control section performs an element value adjustment so that absolute element values of a pair of elements corresponding to each other in two filter circuits in the complex filter circuit increase/decrease in opposite directions.

Abstract: A multi-channel radio signal processing integrated circuit (10A) includes: an analog signal processing unit (101) for generating a local signal based on an externally supplied reference clock signal and selecting a desired channel from the multi-channel radio signal using the local signal; a digital signal processing unit (102) for performing digital demodulation of a signal of the channel selected by the analog signal processing unit (101); an operation clock generating unit (103) for generating an operation clock signal for the digital signal processing unit (102); and a control unit (104) for designating a frequency of the operation clock signal to be generated by the operation clock generating unit (103) in response the channel selected by the analog signal processing unit (101).

Abstract: In transmission frequency modulation in radio communication, correspondences to multiple-value frequency modulation having plural-bits transmission data are realized while suppressing an increase in the circuit area. When performing transmission frequency modulation in radio communication, response data of a digital filter are calculated by a logic circuit that is embedded in a transmission modulator. Since a change amount in the division number is calculated by the logic circuit, a ROM for storing the response data is dispensed with, and thereby an increase in the circuit area can be suppressed when the transmission modulator corresponds to variations in the frequency of a reference signal or to multiple-value frequency modulation having plural-bits transmission data. Further, bandwidth narrowing of a transmission signal spectrum is realized by performing the transmission frequency modulation with dividing the process thereof into plural steps using a timing synchronized with a clock.

Abstract: In an image suppression receiver which is employed in such as a heterodyne receiver, the inter-signal errors between the I signal and the Q signal becomes the noise of the image signal frequency components, and thereby the communication quality is deteriorated. In such a wireless communication device, a high performance image suppression circuit is realized. There are provided two image suppression circuits 6-1, 6-2, and in the one hand image suppression circuit 6-1, the I signal and the Q signal are replaced and the desired wave signal is recognized as an image signal and is suppressed, and on the other image suppression receiver 6-2, it is recognized as a desired wave signal and is made pass through without occurring losses, and the phases and the amplitudes of the I signal and the Q signal are adjusted by the IQ signal adjustment circuit so that the ratio between the outputs of the respective image suppression circuits 6-1, 6-2 become the maximum.

Abstract: In a broadband low-noise amplifier circuit to be used in a multichannel reception system, a capacitance of a variable capacitor (9) is controlled by a resonance frequency control circuit (4) so that a resonance frequency of a load unit (2) comprising the variable capacitor (9) and an inductor (10) matches a desired RF signal frequency. Therefore, high gain and broadband can be realized at the same time without increasing power consumption, and consequently, a reception system having reduced power consumption and high sensitivity for all channels can be realized.

Abstract: In a high-frequency amplifier for amplifying transmission and reception signals, an integrated circuit area is reduced to reduce production costs. A high-frequency amplifier (101) includes a reception signal amplifying part (102), a transmission signal amplifying part (103), and a spiral inductor (104). An output of the reception signal amplifying part (102) is connected with an output of the transmission signal amplifying part (103) to be an output terminal OUT of the high-frequency amplifier (101). The single spiral inductor (104) is connected to the output terminal OUT. This spiral inductor (104) is used as a load common to the reception signal amplifying part (102) and the transmission signal amplifying part (103). Thereby, the area of the integrated circuit is reduced, and the production cost is reduced.

Abstract: A mixer circuit of a receiving system, requiring low noise characteristics at lower frequency, includes a bypass current source (41) which is connected in parallel with an LO transistor (21) between an IF output terminal (33) and a drain terminal of an RF transistor (11), and a bypass current source (42) which is connected in parallel with an LO transistor (22) between an IF output terminal (34) and the drain terminal of the RF transistor (11), thereby decreasing a current flowing through the LO transistors (21, 22) without decreasing a bias current flowing through the RF transistor (11). Accordingly, it is possible to suppress flicker noises occurring from the LO transistors (21, 22) without lowering the gain of the mixer, thereby realizing a mixer circuit with excellent low frequency noise characteristics, which can improve the NF characteristics at lower frequency.