With Mixer Patents (Class 324/76.23)
  • Patent number: 12140630
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to methods of finding optimized analog measurement hardware settings of a measurement system for a target measurement. The method can include one or more of the following steps: applying initial settings to the measurement system; varying the settings over a power sweep while processing a test signal used for the target measurement or a representative signal; performing the target measurement during the power sweep, thereby determining a hardware contribution of the measurement system over the power sweep; and identifying the respective settings that lead to a minimum hardware contribution of the measurement system at various powers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2024
    Assignee: Rohde & Schwarz GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Darren Tipton, Michael Simon, Florian Ramian, Martin Breinbauer
  • Patent number: 12087867
    Abstract: A solid-state device chip including diodes (generating a higher or lower frequency output through frequency multiplication or mixing of the input frequency) and a novel on-chip diplexing design that allows combination of two or more multiplier or mixer structures operating at different frequency bands within the 50-5000 GHz range within a same chip and/or waveguide. The on-chip diplexing design consists of a single-substrate multiplier chip with two or more multiplying structures each one containing 2 or more Schottky diodes. The diodes in each structure are tuned to one portion of the target frequency band, resulting in the two or more structures working together as a whole as a large broadband multiplier or mixer. Thus, an increase in bandwidth from 10-15% (current state-of-the-art) to at least 40% is achieved. Depending on the target frequencies, each subset of diodes within the chip can be designed to work either as a doubler or a tripler.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2024
    Assignee: CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
    Inventors: Jose Vicente Siles Perez, Choonsup Lee, Robert H. Lin, Alejandro Peralta
  • Patent number: 11837797
    Abstract: A circuit includes a radio frequency (RF) channel including an input node and an output node and being configured to receive an RF oscillator signal at the input node and to provide an RF output signal at the output node; a mixer configured to mix an RF reference signal and an RF test signal representative of the RF output signal to generate a mixer output signal; an analog-to-digital converter configured to sample the mixer output signal in order to provide a sequence of sampled values; and a control circuit configured to provide a sequence of phase offsets by phase-shifting at least one of the RF test signal and the RF reference signal using one or more phase shifters, calculate a spectral value from the sequence of sampled values; and calculate estimated phase information indicating a phase of the RF output signal based on the spectral value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2023
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
    Inventors: Jochen O. Schrattenecker, Niels Christoffers, Vincenzo Fiore, Bernhard Gstoettenbauer, Helmut Kollmann, Alexander Melzer, Alexander Onic, Rainer Stuhlberger, Mathias Zinnoecker
  • Patent number: 11761994
    Abstract: A fault detection system has line current monitors. Each line current monitor couples to a line-phase of an electric power transmission system. Each line current monitor has a phase detector, a loop filter and a controlled oscillator, coupled as a phase locked loop. The phase detector has a rotating frame transform. The phase detector couples to a line-phase and provides in-phase and quadrature signals in a rotating frame, based on in-phase and quadrature signals proportional to current in the line-phase. One or more fault detection modules are coupled to the line current monitors through inter-phase communication of the in-phase and quadrature signals in a time frame rotating at the line frequency. The communication may have electrical isolation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2023
    Assignee: Smart Wires Inc.
    Inventors: Niloofar Torabi, Hamed Khalilinia
  • Patent number: 11740314
    Abstract: A method measures an angle of arrival (AOA) of an incoming signal using m separate antennas coupled via a switch with a single receiving device. The switch sequentially supplies the incoming signal to the receiver. A sampling of the incoming signal as received at the antennas has a sampling rate and cycle time performed in repetitive cycles. The receiver generates baseband signals with in-phase and quadrature components from the incoming signal and forwarding to each analog-to-digital converter to provide digitized samples. A signal processor is coupled to the respective analog-to-digital converter to analyze the digitized signals and to determine the angle of arrival of the incoming signal. The resulting phase error is compensated by sampling and signal processing. A device operates according to the method and an arrangement with a mobile transmitter and a device and software for locating the mobile transmitter by the device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2023
    Assignee: SAFECTORY GMBH
    Inventors: Christian Dorn, Stefan Erhardt
  • Patent number: 11604228
    Abstract: From a current measurement circuit, digital samples are received of a current signal that flows through a battery cell within a measurement period. From a voltage measurement circuit, digital samples are received of a voltage signal across the battery cell within the measurement period. First voltage spectral components are generated based on performing a first transform operation on the digital samples of the voltage signal. A current spectrum is generated based on performing a second transform operation on the digital samples of the current signal. Second voltage spectral components are generated based on a first condition of the battery cell before the measurement period and a second condition of the battery cell after the measurement period. A voltage spectrum is including the first voltage spectrum and the second voltage spectrum is generated. An impedance spectrum of the battery cell is generated based on the voltage spectrum and the current spectrum.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2023
    Assignee: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Yevgen Pavlovich Barsukov, David Patrick Magee, Charles Kasimer Sestok, IV
  • Patent number: 11536793
    Abstract: A calibration apparatus calibrates cross-frequency phases of large-signal network analyzer measurements and includes: a signal generator; a vector network analyzer that includes couplers and receivers that receive the calibration signal and the reference multitone signal from the signal generator; a calibration receiver that receives a calibration signal from the vector network analyzer and produces a digitized calibration temporal signal from the calibration signal; and a signal processor in communication with the signal generator and the vector network analyzer and that: receives the reference digitized signal from the reference receiver; receives the forward digitized signal from the forward coupled receiver; receives the reverse digitized signal from the reverse coupled receiver; receives the digitized calibration temporal signal from the calibration receiver; and produces a calibration factor from the reference digitized signal, the forward digitized signal, the reverse digitized signal, and the digitize
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2022
    Assignee: GOVERNMENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, AS REPRESENTED BY THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE
    Inventors: Dylan Forrest Williams, Aric Warner Sanders
  • Patent number: 11506694
    Abstract: A vector network analyzer configured to analyze a high-frequency signal received is described. The vector network analyzer includes three or more reflectometers, each reflectometer operating at a respective frequency range and having a first terminal and a second terminal. The reflectometers are connected with each other in series such that a combined frequency range of the vector network analyzer is established. A first reflectometer is connected to one of a load or a signal source via its first terminal. A last reflectometer is connected to a test port via its second terminal. At least two reflectometers are interconnected with each other by an interposed frequency selective absorptive filter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2022
    Assignee: Rohde & Schwarz GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Tobias Fastner, Christoph Hammerschmidt, Ashwin Venkatram
  • Patent number: 11418874
    Abstract: A first digital signal processor (DSP) associated with a first user outputs audio to the first user via first headphones, and captures speech from the first user via a first microphone. Similarly, a second DSP associated with a second user outputs audio to the second user via second headphones, and captures speech from the second user via a second microphone. The first DSP is coupled to the second DSP in order to allow the first and second users to share music and communicate with one another. The first user may speak into the first microphone, and the first and second DSPs may then interoperate to output that speech to the second user without substantially disrupting audio output to the second user. Each of the first and second users may also select between first and second audio sources that may be coupled to the first and second DSPs, respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2022
    Assignee: HARMAN INTERNATIONAL INDUSTRIES, INC.
    Inventors: James M. Kirsch, Ajay Iyer, Branden Sheffield
  • Patent number: 11418630
    Abstract: Embodiments discussed herein refer to systems, methods, and circuits for managing and establishing contactless communications lanes between two contactlessly coupled systems. A contactless communication lane can be formed for each coupled pair of contactless communication units existing in the two systems. A contactless communications interface can enable software-defined connectivity that manages use of the contactless communication data lanes to enable data communications according to a selected one of a plurality of communications interfaces. The contactless communications interface may serve as a protocol translator and virtualization layer for enabling higher level software such as an operating system of a first system to communicate with a second system without requiring interface protocol specific hardware and software. This advantageously simplifies hardware and software components needed to simultaneously service a multitude of interface protocols.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2022
    Assignee: Molex, LLC
    Inventors: Roger D. Isaac, Srikanth Gondi
  • Patent number: 11366193
    Abstract: A setting of a measurement instrument comprises the providing a reference measurement instrument that uses at least one instrument parameter. A training phase is performed for a particular signal type to be processed by said reference measurement instrument in order to retrieve an optimal setting for said at least one instrument parameter. A lookup table is created for said particular signal type, said lookup table comprising at least said optimal setting for said at least one instrument parameter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2022
    Assignee: ROHDE & SCHWARZ GMBH & CO. KG
    Inventors: Florian Ramian, Darren Tipton, Martin Lim
  • Patent number: 11187744
    Abstract: A measuring device for measuring a signal of interest within a measuring signal is provided. It device comprises a trace determiner, which is adapted to consecutively determine a first stack of traces of the measuring signal, a statistics evaluator, adapted to, after each trace of said first stack of traces is determined by the trace determiner, statistically evaluate if a presence of the signal of interest is detected with a first pre-set degree of certainty, wherein the trace determiner is adapted to cease determining said traces of said first stack of traces, when the statistics evaluator has determined that the signal of interest has been detected to the first pre-set degree of certainty. Preferably a parameter determiner is, adapted to determine measuring parameters, based upon the statistical evaluation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2021
    Assignee: Rohde & Schwarz GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventor: Andreas Laika
  • Patent number: 11137444
    Abstract: A measurement device with automatic optimization capabilities comprises at least one signal processing component with a physical detector and a virtual detector component comprising at least one virtual detector for a signal processing component without physical detector. The physical detector is configured to physically measure a measurement value assigned to the signal processing component. The virtual detector component is configured to use a model of a signal processing chain from the physical detector to the location of the virtual detector. The model comprises at least one model parameter for the signal processing chain. The measurement device is configured to adapt the virtual detector component with respect to a measurement type for the signal to be measured. The virtual detector component is configured to use the model and the at least one measurement value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 5, 2021
    Assignee: Rohde & Schwarz GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Matthias Ruengeler, Florian Ramian, Michael Simon, Alexander Roth
  • Patent number: 10205471
    Abstract: Apparatuses and methods for simultaneously operating as a wireless radio and monitoring the local frequency spectrum. For example, described herein are wireless radio devices that use a secondary receiver to monitor frequencies within the operating band and prevent or avoid interferers, including in particular half-IF interferers. The systems, devices, and methods described herein may adjust the intermediate frequency in a superheterodyne receiver to select an intermediate frequency that minimizes interference. In particular, described herein are apparatuses and methods that use a second receiver which is independent of the first receiver and may be connected to the same receiving antenna to monitor the geographically local frequency spectrum and may detect spurious interferers, allowing the primary receiver to adjust the intermediate frequency and avoid spurious interferes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2019
    Assignee: UBIQUITI NETWORKS, INC.
    Inventors: Lance D. Lascari, Robert J. Pera
  • Patent number: 10090849
    Abstract: The present disclosure discloses a method for performing an ADC phase-frequency response test including: measuring a time delay of an analog mixer and low-pass filter (MLPF) in down-converting a specific carrier frequency narrowband frequency modulation (FM) signal; determining an effective sampling frequency required by an ADC for acquiring FM signals; acquiring a high carrier frequency FM signal and a low carrier frequency FM signal before and after down-conversion is performed by the analog MLPF; and demodulating the FM signals that are acquired, correcting an initial phase of a modulation signal of the high carrier frequency FM signal and an initial phase of a modulation signal of the low carrier frequency FM signal, and calculating a phase-frequency response of the ADC at a high carrier frequency. The present disclosure has advantages of a simple test process, a wide frequency range with frequencies and a test simultaneously performed on multiple channels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2018
    Inventors: Chenguang Cai, Ming Yang
  • Patent number: 9973326
    Abstract: Provided are an apparatus and method for transmitting/receiving a signal. The method for transmitting/receiving a signal includes reducing a quantization error in a baseband (BB) analog area with respect to a reception signal, and performing self-interference cancellation (SIC) on a first output signal output from a BB analog circuit unit in a digital area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2018
    Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
    Inventors: Kapseok Chang, Seon-Ae Kim, Hyung Sik Ju
  • Patent number: 9819385
    Abstract: A method for interference cancellation is provided. The method includes: determining, by a first base station, a channel parameter from a transmit antenna of a second base station to a receive antenna of the first base station; receiving, by the first base station, a first signal using a first resource, where the first signal includes: a first interference signal and an uplink wanted signal, and the first interference signal is an interference signal generated when a downlink second signal is sent by the second base station by using the first resource; receiving, by the first base station, reconstruction information that is of the second signal and that is sent by the second base station; and determining, by the first base station, the first interference signal in the first signal according to the channel parameter and the reconstruction information of the second signal, and canceling the first interference signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2017
    Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd
    Inventors: Sheng Liu, Teyan Chen, Hong Cheng
  • Patent number: 9448300
    Abstract: Aspects of the present disclosure are directed to apparatuses and methods involving the detection of signal characteristics. As may be implemented in accordance with one or more embodiments, an apparatus includes a radar or sonar transceiver that transmits signals and receives reflections of the transmitted signals. A data compression circuit determines a compression factor based on characteristics of the signals, such as may relate to a channel over which the signal passes and/or related aspects of an object from which the signals are reflected (e.g., velocity, trajectory and distance). Data representing the signals is compressed as a function of the determined compression factor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2016
    Assignee: NXP B.V.
    Inventors: Feike Jansen, Zoran Zivkovic
  • Patent number: 9379714
    Abstract: Circuits for measuring TOF between two electrical signals comprises 1) a slow TAF-DPS clock signal generator for generating a slow clock signal, a fast TAF-DPS clock signal generator for generating a fast clock signal, said slow TAF-DPS clock signal generator comprises a gated ring oscillator and a TAF-DPS frequency synthesizer, said fast TAF-DPS clock signal generator comprises a gated ring oscillator and a TAF-DPS frequency synthesizer; 2) a phase detector for receiving said slow and fast clock signals and detecting point-of-coincidence between said slow and fast clock signals; 3) a first digital counter driven by said slow clock signal for storing the number of slow clock cycles and a second digital counter driven by said fast clock signal for storing the number of fast clock cycles; 4) a calibrator for calibrating said gate ring oscillators; 5) a calculation block for calculating TOF measurement result.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2016
    Inventor: Liming Xiu
  • Patent number: 9325435
    Abstract: A system and method for facilitating comparison of radio frequency (RF) data signals transmitted by a device under test (DUT) and received by a test system. A RF data signal received from a DUT is analyzed to provide analysis data indicative of conformance of the DUT operation with one or more applicable signal standards. The RF data signal is also converted to related conversion data that can be stored with state machine data corresponding to states of the signal testing subsystem. This state machine data can then be processed as needed with the analysis data and conversion data for off-line tasks such as debugging new test programs and procedures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2016
    Assignee: LITEPOINT CORPORATION
    Inventors: Christian Volf Olgaard, Jonathan Barry Hirst, Wing Hung Lee
  • Patent number: 9217769
    Abstract: A test circuit for a ring oscillator comprising a plurality of inverting stages includes a power supply, the power supply configured to provide a voltage to the plurality of inverting stages of the ring oscillator at a power output; and a power sensing resistor located between the power output of the power supply and direct current (DC) bias inputs of the inverting stages of the ring oscillator, wherein a signal from the power sensing resistor is configured to be monitored to determine a characteristic of the ring oscillator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 22, 2015
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Hanyi Ding, Kai D. Feng, Hailing Wang, Zhijian Yang
  • Patent number: 9131634
    Abstract: A radio frequency package on package (PoP) circuit is described. The radio frequency package on package (PoP) circuit includes a first radio frequency package. The first radio frequency package includes radio frequency components. The radio frequency package on package (PoP) circuit also includes a second radio frequency package. The second radio frequency package includes radio frequency components. The first radio frequency package and the second radio frequency package are in a vertical configuration. The radio frequency components on the first radio frequency package are designed to reduce the effects of ground inductance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2015
    Assignee: QUALCOMM Incorporated
    Inventors: Aristotele Hadjichristos, Gurkanwal Singh Sahota, Steven C Ciccarelli, David J Wilding, Ryan D Lane, Christian Holenstein, Milind P Shah
  • Publication number: 20140306688
    Abstract: An RF processing module that when coupled to a computer having appropriate signal processing software will function as a spectrum analyzer. The RF processing module has a first stage mixer and a switch that allows either port of the first stage mixer to be selected as the input and receive the RF signal. The RF processing module has a sample packing buffer that packs digitized signal samples into a fewer number of longer words and loads the words into a circular buffer and from thence to one of two DMA channels on a USB link. The circular buffer can be emptied faster than it can be filled, allowing the sample packing buffer to create time intervals for a USB controller to switch DMA channels. LO leakage through the mixer-to-IF path is used to self-calibrate the filter's frequency response as temperature and other environmental factors change.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 19, 2013
    Publication date: October 16, 2014
    Inventor: Justin Crooks
  • Publication number: 20140292305
    Abstract: An input signal Sx in a first millimeter-wave frequency band higher than 100 GHz is input to a millimeter-wave band filter 20 in which a pair of radio wave half mirrors 30A and 30B so as to opposite to each other and which performs a resonance operation. A signal component Sa corresponding to the resonance frequency of the filter is extracted, is mixed with a first local signal L1 with a fixed frequency, and is converted into a signal in a second frequency band. The converted signal component Sb is mixed with a second local signal L2 whose frequency is swept and is converted into a signal in a predetermined intermediate frequency band. Then, the level of the signal is detected. The millimeter-wave filter 20 has high selectivity characteristics in a frequency domain higher than 100 GHz and can change its passband center frequency.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 14, 2014
    Publication date: October 2, 2014
    Applicant: ANRITSU CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masaaki Fuse, Akihito Otani, Hitoshi Sekiya
  • Patent number: 8816673
    Abstract: In accordance with an embodiment, an apparatus for analyzing signals comprises a spectrum analyzer and a frequency extension module. The spectrum analyzer includes an IF switch which switches between an internal IF signal and an external IF signal, and a LO coupler which is configured to output a portion of one or more LO signals. The frequency extension module is configured to receive the one or more LO signals from the spectrum analyzer and send an IF signal to the spectrum analyzer. A diplexer band switch is used to direct the low band signals to the spectrum analyzer and to direct the high band signals to the frequency extension module where they are downconverted to the external IF which is output to the IF switch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 26, 2014
    Assignee: Anritsu Company
    Inventor: Richard Glenn Barber
  • Publication number: 20140225591
    Abstract: A test and measurement instrument including a splitter configured to split an input signal having a particular bandwidth into a plurality of split signals, each split signal including substantially the entire bandwidth of the input signal; a plurality of harmonic mixers, each harmonic mixer configured to mix an associated split signal of the plurality of split signals with an associated harmonic signal to generate an associated mixed signal; and a plurality of digitizers, each digitizer configured to digitize a mixed signal of an associated harmonic mixer of the plurality of harmonic mixers. A first-order harmonic of at least one harmonic signal associated with the harmonic mixers is different from an effective sample rate of at least one of the digitizers.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 16, 2014
    Publication date: August 14, 2014
    Applicant: Tektronix, Inc.
    Inventors: Daniel G. Knierim, James S. Lamb
  • Patent number: 8760148
    Abstract: A device to measure a passive intermodulation (PIM) creating component is provided that uses minimal average power. For a PIM measurement, two separate signals F1 and F2 are generated to simulate signals, such as from two different types of cell phone operating bands being transmitted in the same area or two different transmit frequencies within one cell phone operating band. PIMs are measured to assure interference is not created on one of the cell phone bands. Minimal power is used by connecting pulse width modulators (PWM) to provide DC power to the high power amplifiers (HPA) creating the signals F1 and F2. By controlling the duty cycle of the PWM to limit ON time of the HPAs to approximately 10%, significant average power savings occur. Size is also reduced with reduced power consumption because heat sinks and other cooling components are not required.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2014
    Assignee: Anritsu Company
    Inventor: Donald Anthony Bradley
  • Patent number: 8742749
    Abstract: A test and measurement instrument including a splitter configured to split an input signal having a particular bandwidth into a plurality of split signals, each split signal including substantially the entire bandwidth of the input signal; a plurality of harmonic mixers, each harmonic mixer configured to mix an associated split signal of the plurality of split signals with an associated harmonic signal to generate an associated mixed signal; and a plurality of digitizers, each digitizer configured to digitize a mixed signal of an associated harmonic mixer of the plurality of harmonic mixers. A first-order harmonic of at least one harmonic signal associated with the harmonic mixers is different from an effective sample rate of at least one of the digitizers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2014
    Assignee: Tektronix, Inc.
    Inventor: Daniel G. Knierim
  • Patent number: 8519696
    Abstract: An integrated circuit comprises at least first and second frequency generating circuits, wherein each frequency generating circuit comprises a reference frequency source; a voltage controlled oscillator; and a feedback control circuit for controlling the voltage controlled oscillator to provide a desired output frequency signal. The output of the voltage controlled oscillator of the first frequency generating circuit is switched into the feedback control circuit of the second frequency generating circuit to provide a test signal for testing one or more components of the feedback control circuit of the second frequency generating circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2013
    Assignee: NXP B.V.
    Inventor: Francois Lefevre
  • Patent number: 8514919
    Abstract: Systems and other embodiments associated with synthetic instrumentation are presented. A reconfigurable synthetic instrumentation unit comprises an input module, with dual input/output ports and conditioning logic to condition an input signal. An RF down converter selectively down converts the conditioned input signal. A sampled RF down converter selectively samples the conditioned input signal. A pair of narrowband A/D converters are configured to convert one of the conditioned signal, the down converted signal and the sampled signal to produce a narrowband digital signal. A pair of broadband A/D converters convert at least one of the conditioned signal, the down converted signal and the sampled signal to produce a broadband digital signal. Signal processing logic selectively performs digital signal processing on the broadband digital signal or the narrow band digital signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2013
    Assignee: BAE Systems National Security Solutions Inc.
    Inventors: Anthony J. Estrada, Dana C. Ford, Tae S. Kim, Robert W. Lowdermilk, Dragan Vuletic
  • Patent number: 8446144
    Abstract: It is possible to provide a frequency characteristics measuring device which can simplify the configuration for performing a measurement and reduce the undue effort required for the measurement. A spectrum analyzer (10) includes: two sets of measuring units having mixers (110, 210), local oscillators (112, 212), and IF sections (120, 220) for separately measuring frequency characteristics of two input signals; a trigger generation section (310) which generates a trigger signal for specifying a measurement start timing in each of the two sets of measuring units; a sweep control section (300) which simultaneously sends an instruction to the two local oscillators (112, 212) when a trigger signal is inputted and performs a sweep control so that the two local oscillators (112, 212) output local oscillation signals of the same frequency at the same timing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2013
    Assignee: Advantest Corporation
    Inventors: Shinji Kuniie, Satoru Aoyama, Yoshimasa Ogino
  • Patent number: 8412120
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is a phase-locked circuit including: a phase-locked section including a voltage controlled oscillator having a capacitance bank and changing oscillation frequency according to voltage information, the phase-locked section phase-locking an oscillating signal of the voltage controlled oscillator to a reference signal; and a calibration section having a voltage correcting function for supplying an appropriate calibration voltage to the voltage controlled oscillator in performing frequency calibration for the voltage controlled oscillator; the calibration section including a counter circuit, a first storage circuit and a second storage circuit, a comparator circuit, a control circuit, a voltage generating circuit, and a processing circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2013
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Tetsuya Fujiwara, Shingo Harada
  • Patent number: 8368382
    Abstract: A spectrum analyzer includes: two sets of measuring units having mixers, local oscillators, and IF sections for separately measuring frequency characteristics of two input signals; a trigger control section which generates a trigger signal for specifying a measurement start timing in each of the two sets of measuring units; a sweep control section which simultaneously sends an instruction to the two local oscillators when a trigger signal is inputted and performs a sweep control so that the two local oscillators output local oscillation signals of the same frequency at the same timing. This provides a frequency characteristics measuring device which can simplify the configuration for performing a measurement and reduce the undue effort required for the measurement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2013
    Assignee: Advantest Corporation
    Inventors: Satoru Aoyama, Wataru Doi
  • Publication number: 20120299579
    Abstract: A test and measurement instrument including a splitter configured to split an input signal having a particular bandwidth into a plurality of split signals, each split signal including substantially the entire bandwidth of the input signal; a plurality of harmonic mixers, each harmonic mixer configured to mix an associated split signal of the plurality of split signals with an associated harmonic signal to generate an associated mixed signal; and a plurality of digitizers, each digitizer configured to digitize a mixed signal of an associated harmonic mixer of the plurality of harmonic mixers. A first-order harmonic of at least one harmonic signal associated with the harmonic mixers is different from an effective sample rate of at least one of the digitizers.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 26, 2011
    Publication date: November 29, 2012
    Applicant: Tektronix, Inc.
    Inventor: Daniel G. KNIERIM
  • Patent number: 8290100
    Abstract: Techniques for detecting and mitigating interference are described. A device (e.g., a cellular phone) senses interference levels and digitally reconstructs the expected interference in the received signal. The device may correlate the reconstructed interference with the received signal and determine interference in the received signal based on correlation results. The device may adjust the operation of one or more circuit blocks (e.g., a mixer, an LNA, etc.) in a receiver based on the detected interference in the received signal. Alternatively or additionally, the device may condition the digital interference to obtain conditioned reconstructed interference matching the interference in the received signal and may then subtract the conditioned interference from the received signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2012
    Assignee: Qualcomm Incorporated
    Inventors: Christos Komninakis, Daniel F. Filipovic
  • Publication number: 20120256616
    Abstract: A spectrum analyzer that provides from below 9 kHz to above 20 GHz operation range while remaining hand-held. The spectrum analyzer includes an integrated precision stand-alone step attenuator that does not rely on printed circuit board (PCB) mounted circuit elements within the signal path. Further, a PIN diplexing switch separates signals into different base-band and highband paths. The baseband path includes a pre-amplifier for low frequency signals, while the higher frequency bands may not necessarily include a pre-amplifier. The highband path incorporates multi-throw MMIC PIN diode switches to selectively filter different bands of input signals.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 16, 2012
    Publication date: October 11, 2012
    Applicant: ANRITSU COMPANY
    Inventors: Russell A Brown, Cindy Robinson
  • Publication number: 20120161749
    Abstract: A new measurement system, with two receiver channels per measurement port, has been developed that provides absolute magnitude and absolute phase relationship measurements over wide bandwidths. Gain ranging is used at RF to provide optimum noise performance and a swept YIG preselector filter is used to avoid spurious signals. A new absolute vector error correction method is used to calibrate the measurement system in order to allow for absolute vector measurements, and it also removes the time-varying responses caused by the swept YIG preselector filters. A quasi-reciprocal mixer with a characterized non-reciprocal ratio is used to provide the absolute calibration standard. The two receiver channels can be adapted to a wide variety of applications, including wide bandwidth vector signal analyzer measurements, mixer measurements, and harmonic measurements. The two-channels can also be used as an absolute calibrated transmitter/reflectometer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 9, 2012
    Publication date: June 28, 2012
    Inventors: Ben K. Sternberg, Steven L. Dvorak
  • Patent number: 8207727
    Abstract: An analysis circuit for analysing the RF response of an RF circuit, includes a voltage controlled oscillator (12), wherein a signal derived from voltage controlled oscillator output is applied as input to the RF circuit (10). A first mixer (18) mixes the RF circuit output with a first mixer signal derived from the voltage controlled oscillator and a second mixer (20) mixes the RF circuit unit output with a second mixer signal derived from the voltage controlled oscillator, the first and second mixer signals being 90 degrees out of phase. The mixer output signals are processed to provide the analysis. This analysis circuit uses mixers to enable baseband digital signal processing of signals to enable a frequency response characteristic of the RF circuit to be obtained. The analysis circuit essentially operates in the manner of an IF demodulator circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2012
    Assignee: NXP B.V.
    Inventors: Christophe Kelma, Sofiane Ellouz
  • Patent number: 8159208
    Abstract: A spectrum analyzer is provided that includes components to achieve from below 9 kHz to above 20 GHz operation range while remaining hand-held. Components of the spectrum analyzer include an integrated precision stand-alone step attenuator that does not rely on printed circuit board (PCB) mounted circuit elements within the signal path. Further, a PIN diplexing switch separates signals into different base-band and highband paths. The baseband path includes a pre-amplifier for low frequency signals, while the higher frequency bands may not necessarily include a pre-amplifier. The baseband path further provides improved broadband termination of its 1st mixer IF port by incorporating a new quadrature-coupled directional (QCD) filter that includes a ring resonator. An inexpensive air dielectric multi-cavity baseband filter is also used to suppress 2nd mixer IF images. The highband path incorporates multi-throw MMIC PIN diode switches to selectively filter different bands of input signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2012
    Assignee: Anritsu Company
    Inventors: Russell A. Brown, Cindy Robinson
  • Publication number: 20120032837
    Abstract: A network analyzer includes an n-port network with two ports for measuring wave parameters of a measurement object. Each port has a feed for a radio-frequency signal from a signal source. Signal components of the radio-frequency signal fed into the respective port are reflected at the measurement object and the signal components of one or more radio-frequency signals fed into at least one other port are transmitted through the measurement object to the respective port are measured as wave parameters. The two ports are supplied with different radio-frequency signals, wherein frequencies or frequency bands are offset with respect to one another by a frequency offset. Reflected and transmitted signal components of the radio-frequency signals are measured at the same time at the two ports.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 25, 2010
    Publication date: February 9, 2012
    Inventors: Florian Poprawa, Andreas Schicht, Claus Seisenberger, Andreas Ziroff
  • Patent number: 8022687
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for measuring objects for measurement, by means of a network analyzer with several measurement ports, at least one signal generator, for stimulating the object for measurement and at least one local oscillator, for measurement of the signal transmitted or reflected from the object for measurement by the superposition principle. According to the invention, on a frequency change, only the frequency of the local oscillator or the frequency of the signal generator is changed but not the frequency of the local oscillator and the signal generator simultaneously.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2011
    Assignee: Rohde & Schwarz GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventor: Georg Ortler
  • Patent number: 7952344
    Abstract: A frequency characteristic measuring apparatus measures a device under test in which the frequency of an input signal and the frequency of an output signal differ from each other, simplifying the configuration of a tracking generator and peripheral circuits associated with the tracking generator, and simultaneously measuring the characteristics of the input signal and the output signal of the device under test. A spectrum analyzer has mixers, local oscillators and IF sections as first and second measuring units for measuring frequency characteristics of two input signals by performing frequency sweep in correspondence with a first or second frequency range, a mixer and an oscillator as a tracking generator section which operates by being linked to the frequency sweep operation in the first measuring unit, and a section which generates a trigger signal designating measurement start timing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2011
    Assignee: Advantest Corporation
    Inventors: Wataru Doi, Yohei Hirakoso
  • Patent number: 7919969
    Abstract: The invention relates to a network analyzer comprising a signal generator for generating an excitation signal which can be supplied to a measuring object connectable to a network analyzer by means of a measuring line, and a measuring bridge which is connected to the measuring line by means of signal transmission. A reference signal corresponding to the excitation signal can be extracted from a reference channel, and a measuring signal corresponding to a signal corresponding to a signal reflected from the measuring object can be extracted from a measuring channel. the measuring bridge comprises a resistive bridge and at least one hybrid coupler which is connected to the resistive bridge in series. the measuring bridge is operated as a resistive bridge in a low frequency range and as a hybrid coupler in a upper frequency range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2011
    Assignee: Rohde & Schwarz GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventor: Werner Held
  • Patent number: 7868607
    Abstract: A method is presented where the phase trace is offset for each sweep such that the first point is always at zero degrees. The resulting traces are then averaged. The average reduces the noise in the phase trace and results in a less noisy group delay trace.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2011
    Assignee: Agilent Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Joel P. Dunsmore, Sean Hubert, Loren C. Betts, Johan Ericsson
  • Publication number: 20100259245
    Abstract: It is possible to provide a frequency characteristics measuring device which can simplify the configuration for performing a measurement and reduce the undue effort required for the measurement. A spectrum analyzer (10) includes: two sets of measuring units having mixers (110, 210), local oscillators (112, 212), and IF sections (120, 220) for separately measuring frequency characteristics of two input signals; a trigger generation section (310) which generates a trigger signal for specifying a measurement start timing in each of the two sets of measuring units; a sweep control section (300) which simultaneously sends an instruction to the two local oscillators (112, 212) when a trigger signal is inputted and performs a sweep control so that the two local oscillators (112, 212) output local oscillation signals of the same frequency at the same timing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 15, 2008
    Publication date: October 14, 2010
    Applicant: ADVANTEST CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shinji Kunie, Satoru Aoyama, Yoshimasa Ogino
  • Publication number: 20100244811
    Abstract: A method for improving bandwidth of an oscilloscope involves, in preferred embodiments, the use of frequency up-conversion and down-conversion techniques. In an illustrative embodiment the technique involves separating an input signal into a high frequency content and a low frequency content, down-converting the high frequency content in the analog domain so that it may be processed by the oscilloscope's analog front end, digitizing the low frequency content and the down-converted high frequency content, and forming a digital representation of the received analog signal from the digitized low frequency content and high frequency content.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 22, 2009
    Publication date: September 30, 2010
    Applicant: LeCroy Corporation
    Inventors: Peter J. Pupalaikis, David Graef
  • Patent number: 7741831
    Abstract: It is possible to provide a frequency component measuring device capable of narrowing the range of transmission frequency of a local oscillator, preventing degradation of the level measurement accuracy, and measuring the level of a modulation wave. The device includes: a local oscillator (24) capable of performing sweep in a predetermined frequency range; a mixer (22) for mixing a local oscillation signal outputted from the local oscillator (24) and a measured signal so as to subject the measured signal to a frequency conversion; a plurality of intermediate-frequency filters (44, 46) for extracting and outputting components of different intermediate frequencies from a signal outputted from the mixer (22); and an image removal processing section (66) for performing image removal according to the plurality of intermediate-frequency signals separately outputted from the intermediate-frequency filters (44, 46) corresponding to frequency sweep operations performed by the local oscillator (24) more than once.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 22, 2010
    Assignee: Advantest Corporation
    Inventor: Yohei Hirakoso
  • Patent number: 7741830
    Abstract: The process eliminates image rays generated in a frequency converting device generating actual rays and image rays from frequency rays of an input signal. The frequency converting device comprising a mixer mixing the input signal and a signal provided by a local oscillator and a filter assembly filtering the mixed signals output by the mixer. In a first sweep and a second sweep, the frequency of the oscillator is varied and the signal level at the output of the frequency converting device is recorded for a set of converted frequencies. The second sweep is carried out so that the frequency of the actual ray generated in the second sweep by an input ray is the same as the frequency of the actual ray generated in said first sweep by said input ray, and the frequency of the image ray generated in the second sweep by an input ray is not the same as the frequency of the image ray generated in said first sweep by said input ray.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 22, 2010
    Assignee: Advantest Corporation
    Inventor: Jacky Griffault
  • Patent number: 7714564
    Abstract: A measurement technique that provides a full solution to the gated local oscillator sweep measurement and improves the accuracy of signal analyzers in gated sweep mode by pre-sweeping the local oscillator at the beginning of a gate pulse and over-sweeping the local oscillator at the end of each gate pulse.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 11, 2010
    Assignee: Agilent Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Thomas M Wright, Wing J Mar, Joseph M Gorin, Gregory B Korelich, Douglas Gordon Yule, Jr.
  • Publication number: 20100094577
    Abstract: Spectrum measurement circuit (101) includes: N- (where N is integer equal or greater than 2) phase clock generation circuit (304) for supplying phase-modulated signals in which the phase of a clock signal is shifted by a phase modulation amount each time the settings of the phase modulation amount are switched; mixer circuit (303) for taking the product of a measured signal supplied from a transmitter and the phase-modulated signals supplied from N-phase clock generation circuit (304); average value output circuit (305) for supplying an average voltage value of the output signal of mixer circuit (303); memory (307) for storing the average voltage value supplied from average value output circuit (305) for each phase modulation amount of the N-phase clock generation circuit (304); and arithmetic unit (308) for using the average voltage value for each phase modulation amount of N-phase clock generation circuit (304) to calculate the signal strength of the measured signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 18, 2007
    Publication date: April 15, 2010
    Inventors: Koichi Nose, Masayuki Mizuno