Image Frequency Suppression Patents (Class 455/302)
  • Patent number: 8705657
    Abstract: A digital signal processing circuit includes a combining stage and an output stage. The combining stage is arranged to receive a plurality of non-overlapping clock signals having a same frequency but different phases, receive a plurality of first input bit streams, and generate a first output bit stream by combining the first input bit streams according to the non-overlapping clock signals. The output stage is arranged to generate an output according to the first output bit stream. A digital signal processing method includes: receiving a plurality of non-overlapping clock signals having a same frequency but different phases; receiving a plurality of first input bit streams; generating a first output bit stream by combining the first input bit streams according to the non-overlapping clock signals; and generating an output according to the first output bit stream.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2014
    Assignee: Mediatek Inc.
    Inventors: Jie-Wei Lai, Yang-Chuan Chen
  • Patent number: 8660508
    Abstract: An electronic device comprising a passive harmonic-rejection mixer (400) and a calibration circuitry (425). The passive harmonic rejection mixer has an input (102) connected to several sub-mixer stages (402), and the sub-mixer stages are connected to a summing module (406, 408) for generating the output (104). Each sub-mixing stage comprises a gating module (414), an amplifier (416), and a weighting module (418), the gating module selectively passing the input signal or the input signal with inverted polarity under the control of control signals. The calibration circuitry (425) is adapted to input a reference signal (430) to the input of the mixer, receive an output signal (104) from the output of the mixer, and set the weights (K1, K2, K3, K4) of the weighting modules to make the output signal match an expected output signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2014
    Assignee: NXP, B.V.
    Inventors: Dennis Jeurissen, Gerben Willem de Jong, Jan van Sinderen, Johannes Hubertus Antonius Brekelmans
  • Patent number: 8655297
    Abstract: Disclosed are a nonlinear distortion compensating receiver and nonlinear distortion compensation method, wherein nonlinear distortion is reduced with a simple circuit configuration. A correction (opposite characteristics) filter (104) has characteristics opposite that of the frequency characteristics of a direct sampling mixer (102) and corrects signals sampled by the direct sampling mixer (102). In the main path, a LPF (106) extracts a frequency band component of a desired signal from the corrected signal. In the replica path, a BPF (107) extracts the frequency band component of a blocker signal from the corrected signal. A cubing circuit (108) uses the frequency band component of the blocker signal to generate a replica signal for the nonlinear distortion. An adaptive filter (110) performs filter processing on the replica signal while updating the filter coefficients.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 5, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2014
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Satoshi Tsukamoto, Noriaki Saito, Yoshito Shimizu, Tadashi Morita, Katsuaki Abe
  • Patent number: 8630603
    Abstract: A circuit and method for image frequency rejection is provided that includes an analog dual-quadrature mixer device whose signal inputs for an in-phase-signal and a quadrature-phase signal are connected to an input circuit in the signal path and whose oscillator inputs for an in-phase oscillator signal and a quadrature-phase oscillator signal are connected to a local oscillator device, having an analog adder-amplifier device, which has a number of transistor pairs, in which in each case both transistors of each transistor pair are connected to the same load resistor for the addition of the signals applied at the control inputs of both transistors, and in which the control inputs of both transistors are connected downstream of the outputs of analog dual-quadrature mixer device, and having a multistage analog polyphase filter whose inputs are connected to outputs of the adder-amplifier device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2014
    Assignee: Atmel Corporation
    Inventor: Marco Schwarzmueller
  • Patent number: 8619997
    Abstract: A receiving apparatus includes: a local oscillator to output first- and second-local-oscillator signals whose phases are orthogonal to each other; a mixer to output first- and second-intermediate-frequency signals; a first filter to allow a component from a desired signal to pass therethrough, and eliminate a component from an image signal having a frequency symmetrical with that of the desired signal, in the first- and second-intermediate-frequency signals; a second filter to allow a component from the image signal to pass therethrough, and eliminate a component from the desired signal, in the first- and second-intermediate-frequency signals; a comparator to compare levels between output signals of the first and second filters; and a control unit to switch a frequency of the first- and second-local-oscillator signals to a difference frequency between a frequency of the desired signal and the intermediate frequency or a sum frequency thereof, according to a comparison result of the comparator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2013
    Assignees: Sanyo Semiconductor Co., Ltd., Semiconductor Components Industries, LLC
    Inventors: Kazunari Kurokawa, Satoru Sekiguchi
  • Patent number: 8605828
    Abstract: A computer-implemented system and method for blind demodulation of an offset QPSK input signal, involving repeatedly performing a set of operations, including: (a) applying a phase correction to the input signal based on an estimate of a carrier phase offset of the input signal to obtain a first modified signal; (b) shifting a quadrature component of the first modified signal by half a symbol period relative to an inphase component to obtain a second modified signal; (c) extracting a first sequence of symbols from the second modified signal, where the extraction includes estimating a symbol timing offset from the second modified signal; (d) performing hard-decision demodulation on the first sequence of symbols to obtain a second sequence of reference symbols; (e) computing a phase difference between the first sequence of symbols and second sequence of reference symbols; and (f) updating the carrier phase offset estimate using the phase difference.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2013
    Assignee: National Instruments Corporation
    Inventors: Sartaj Chaudhary, Vijaya Yajnanarayana, I Zakir Ahmed
  • Patent number: 8606210
    Abstract: A polyphase harmonic rejection mixer, comprising a plurality of stages following each other; wherein a first stage is arranged to perform at least frequency conversion; and a second stage is arranged to perform at least selective weighting and combining; wherein at least two of the plurality of stages are arranged to perform at least combining. In an embodiment, the first stage (28) comprises three single-ended gain blocks (10, 12, 14), arranged to perform selective weighting, frequency conversion and combining; and a second stage (30) following the first stage (28) and arranged to perform selective weighting and combining. The second stage (30) may reduce the number of phases output by the first stage (28) and may output (32) a complex differential down converted signal. The mixer may be directly interfaced to an antenna of an LNA-less receiver without weighting in the first stage. The mixer may be included in a software-defined radio.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2013
    Assignee: NXP, B.V.
    Inventors: Zhiyu Ru, Eric A. M. Klumperink, Bram Nauta, Johannes H. A. Brekelmans
  • Patent number: 8600329
    Abstract: An interfering signal canceller has a passive isolation element fed by an input signal in a primary path. A first frequency converter is in an auxiliary path and is fed by an input signal for converting the input signal to an intermediate or baseband signal. A bandpass filter is tuned to the interfering signal component for passing the interfering signal component of the converted input signal and suppressing the desired signal component. A second frequency converter/phase rotator section has a phase rotator fed by a local oscillator signal and a second frequency converter fed by the phase rotator and the bandpass filter. The second frequency converter/phase rotator section convert and phase adjust the passed the interfering signal component and the suppressed desired signal component to the predetermined band of frequencies. A combiner combines signals in the primary signal path and from the second frequency converter/phase rotator section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2013
    Assignee: Raytheon Company
    Inventors: Jonathan P. Comeau, Matthew A. Morton
  • Patent number: 8594575
    Abstract: Methods and apparatuses for minimizing co-channel interference in communications systems are disclosed. A method in accordance with the present invention comprises shifting a characteristic of the first signal with respect to a like characteristic of the second signal to mitigate co-channel interference, and transmitting the first signal and the second signal over different channels of the communication system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2013
    Assignee: The DIRECTV Group, Inc.
    Inventors: Joseph Santoru, Ernest C. Chen, Shamik Maitra, Dennis Lai, Guangcai Zhou, Tung-Sheng Lin
  • Patent number: 8565707
    Abstract: Digital-to-analog conversion in a communication device typically results in superimposed spectral images in the frequency spectrum of the analog waveform. These superimposed spectral images can distort the analog waveform and potentially violate the spectral mask and the constraints on out-of-band emissions set by the FCC. The communication device can be configured to implement a spectral image cancellation unit with feed-forward architecture to minimize the spectral images in the frequency spectrum of the analog waveform. The spectral image cancellation unit can generate a spectral image error signal comprising the spectral images at one or more spectral image frequencies. The spectral image cancellation unit can then subtract the spectral image error signal from the analog waveform to reduce spectral image components of the analog waveform and to yield an output signal for transmission.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2013
    Assignee: QUALCOMM Incorporated
    Inventors: Amirpouya Kavousian, David K. Su
  • Patent number: 8548416
    Abstract: A two-terminal semiconductor device is formed on a semiconductor substrate. Two wiring patterns are respectively connected to terminals of the semiconductor device, and two electrode pads are respectively connected to the wiring patterns for connecting a signal input/output circuit formed on a separate substrate. Two parallel wiring patterns are respectively connected to the wiring patterns, and two reactance-circuit connection electrode pads are respectively connected to the parallel wiring patterns for electrically connecting a reactance circuit formed on the separate substrate separately from the signal input/output circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2013
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Takuya Suzuki, Kenji Kawakami, Ko Kanaya, Yoichi Kitamura
  • Patent number: 8526902
    Abstract: An arrangement for processing a non-symmetrical signal includes an apparatus configured to balance and filter an image frequency of a nominal frequency of the non-symmetrical receiving signal. The apparatus includes a modified Boucherot bridge having a series or parallel oscillating circuit that replaces inductive or capacitive components of a conventional Boucherot bridge, such that the modified Boucherot bridge is in the harmonized state with the image frequency to be faded out and has a predetermined impedance with the nominal frequency on its symmetrical output terminals. The nominal frequency has a predetermined impedance on its symmetrical output terminals. The nominal frequency is transmitted as a signal balanced to ground to the symmetrical output terminals of the modified Boucherot bridge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2013
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Stephan Biber, Ralph Oppelt, Robert Rehner
  • Patent number: 8503962
    Abstract: In one embodiment, an apparatus includes mixer stages each coupled to receive a radio frequency (RF) signal from a corresponding tracking filter each configured for a band of frequencies. Each mixer stage is controllable to mix the RF signal with a divided master clock signal to obtain N multi-phase intermediate frequency (IF) signals, where N is programmable based upon a desired channel frequency. A load network having individual loads to be shared by the mixers can be coupled to the mixer stages, and a shared IF combiner may be coupled to the load network to weight and combine outputs of the load network to obtain a quadrature IF signal. The load network can include multiple loads each to be individually controlled to receive one of the multi-phase IF signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2013
    Assignee: Silicon Laboratories Inc.
    Inventors: Aslamali A. Rafi, Alessandro Piovaccari
  • Patent number: 8498598
    Abstract: An RF-demodulator includes an RF-input, a demodulator output, a mixing and amplification stage coupled between the RF-input and the demodulator output, and a calibration circuitry. The calibration circuitry is configured to apply a calibration input signal at the RF-input and sense a resulting calibration output signal at the demodulator output to derive a gain of the mixing and amplification stage based on the relationship between the calibration output signal and the calibration input signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 30, 2013
    Assignee: Intel Mobile Communications GmbH
    Inventor: Umut Basaran
  • Patent number: 8483642
    Abstract: A SAW-less receiver includes a front end module (FEM) interface module, an RF to IF section, and an IF to baseband section. The RF to IF section includes a frequency translated bandpass filter (FTBPF), an LNA, and a mixing section. The FTBPF includes a switching network and a complex baseband filter having an offset baseband filter response. The switching network is operable to frequency translate the offset baseband filter response to an RF frequency response such that the FTBPF filters the inbound RF signal by passing, substantially unattenuated, a desired RF signal component and by attenuating an image signal component and/or an undesired signal component. The LNA amplifies the filtered inbound RF signal and the mixing section mixes the amplified inbound RF signal with a local oscillation to produce an inbound IF signal. The IF to baseband section converts the inbound IF signal into an inbound symbol stream(s).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2013
    Assignee: Broadcom Corporation
    Inventors: Ahmad Mirzaei, Hooman Darabi
  • Patent number: 8483643
    Abstract: Disclosed is a harmonic rejection mixer that makes it possible to suppress high-frequency response, while keeping the number of gm elements from increasing. In a harmonic rejection mixer that regulates the waveform of an output signal by mixing outputs of multiple mixers that are connected in parallel with the latter stage of multiple gm elements, some of the gm elements are shared by I phase and Q phase by using a control signal with a duty ratio of less than 50% to drive at least some of the mixers, and then using the period in which the I-phase mixers are inactive to activate the Q-phase mixers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2013
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Yoshito Shimizu, Noriaki Saito, Kiyomichi Araki, Takafumi Nasu
  • Patent number: 8478215
    Abstract: A harmonic rejection mixer converts a frequency of a radio frequency signal by using a first to a third local signals (LOs) whose phases are different from each other, and the harmonic rejection mixer includes a phase difference detection circuit for detecting a phase difference between the first LO and the second LO, a phase difference detection circuit for detecting a phase difference between the first LO and the third LO, a phase adjustment circuit for adjusting the phase of the second LO so that the phase difference detected by the phase difference detection circuit becomes a first phase difference, and a phase adjustment circuit for adjusting the phase of the third LO so that the phase difference detected by the phase difference detection circuit becomes a second phase difference. It is thereby possible to achieve high precision harmonic rejection characteristics.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2013
    Assignee: Renesas Electronics Corporation
    Inventor: Naohiro Matsui
  • Patent number: 8467755
    Abstract: A direct conversion tuner down-converts television signals, cable signals, or other signals directly from an RF frequency to an IF frequency and/or baseband, without an intermediate up-conversion step for image rejection. The direct conversion tuner includes a pre-select filter, an amplifier, an image reject mixer, and a poly-phase filter. The pre-select filter, amplifier, and the image reject mixer can be calibrated to provide sufficient image rejection to meet the NTSC requirements for TV signals. The entire direct conversion tuner can be fabricated on a single semiconductor substrate without requiring any off-chip components. The tuner configuration described herein is not limited to processing TV signals, and can be utilized to down-convert other RF signals to an IF frequency or baseband.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 18, 2013
    Assignee: Broadcom Corporation
    Inventor: Erlend Olson
  • Patent number: 8467745
    Abstract: Aspects of a method and system for simultaneous signal transmission on multiple selected frequencies may include generating from a single baseband signal, a plurality of radio frequency transmission signals each at a different radio frequency, wherein the single baseband signal comprises an in-phase signal component and/or a quadrature signal component. The single baseband signal, to generate said plurality of radio frequency transmission signals, may be modulated in a single radio frequency transmission chain, the radio frequency transmission chain comprising intermediate frequency modulation and radio frequency modulation. The plurality of radio frequency transmission signals may be a radio frequency signal and a corresponding image frequency signal, based on the intermediate frequency modulation and the radio frequency modulation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 5, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 18, 2013
    Assignee: Broadcom Corporation
    Inventors: Brima Babatunde Ibrahim, John Walley, Bojko Marholev, Siukai Mak
  • Patent number: 8462887
    Abstract: A receiver is set forth that includes a tuner circuit and a converter circuit. The tuner circuit provides an analog signal corresponding to a modulated signal that is received on a selected channel. The converter circuit includes a sample clock that is used to convert the analog signal to a digital signal at a conversion rate corresponding to the frequency of the sample clock. The sample clock is selectable between at least two different clock frequencies.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2013
    Assignee: Marvell International Ltd.
    Inventors: King Chun Tsai, Patrick Clement, David Cousinard
  • Patent number: 8417209
    Abstract: An image frequency rejection mixer has a first differential transconductor that receives a differential mixer input signal, a second differential transconductor that receives the differential mixer input signal and cross-coupled to the first differential transconductor, a first mixing circuit that generates a first differential mixing circuit output signal by mixing a first differential information signal with a first local oscillation signal, a second mixing circuit that generates a second differential mixing circuit output signal by mixing a second differential information signal with a second local oscillation signal, with the first local oscillation signal and the second local oscillation signal being in quadrature, and an image rejection circuit that generates a differential mixer output signal from the first and second differential mixing circuit output signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics Design and Application GmbH
    Inventor: Sebastian Zeller
  • Patent number: 8406425
    Abstract: An approach is provided for minimizing co-channel interference in a communication system is disclosed. A header of a first frame is scrambled based on a first unique word. A header of a second frame is scrambled based on a second unique word. The first frame including the corresponding scrambled header and the second frame including the corresponding scrambled header are transmitted, respectively, over adjacent co-channels of the communication system. Each of the frames further includes a payload and a pilot block. The payload and the pilot block of the first frame are scrambled based on a first scrambling sequence. The payload and the pilot block of the second frame are scrambled based on a second scrambling sequence. The above arrangement is particularly suited to a digital satellite broadcast and interactive system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2013
    Assignee: DTVG Licensing, Inc.
    Inventors: Lin-Nan Lee, Feng-Wen Sun, Adam Von Ancken
  • Patent number: 8363761
    Abstract: A wireless modem and noise cancellation method for the same for noise cancellation effectively cancels a noise signal induced from a device to which the wireless modem is connected. A primary antenna receives a radio signal that includes a first noise signal coming from a device to which the wireless modem is connected; a secondary antenna receives a second noise signal from the connected device; a noise signal adjuster for adjusting the second noise signal received by the secondary antenna using a correlation parameter between noise signals received by the primary antenna and the secondary antenna; and a noise remover subtracts the noise signal adjusted by the noise signal adjuster from the radio signal received by the primary antenna.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2013
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Dong Il Yang
  • Patent number: 8364110
    Abstract: A RF front end circuit includes a processor, a main receiving (Rx) path and an adjustment path connected between the processor and an external antenna array in parallel, and a coupling module coupled with the main Rx path. The adjustment path includes an adjustment transmitting (Tx) path, an adjustment Rx path, and a DSP. The adjustment Tx path includes a coupling switch. When the circuit operates in an adjustment mode, the switch is connected to the coupling module, the adjustment Rx path receives and demodulates a first analog signal, the DSP converts the first analog signal to a digital signal, clipping a peak of the digital signal, and converts the digital signal to a second analog signal, the adjustment Tx path modulates and reverses the phase of the second analog signal, and the coupling module couples the second analog signal to the main Rx path to counteract noise received thereby.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2013
    Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Mao-Chang Chuang, Chi-Hsin Wu
  • Publication number: 20130023226
    Abstract: The present disclosure includes apparatus, systems, and techniques relating to receiver image cancellation. A described technique includes receiving a downconverted signal in a digital domain, the downconverted signal including an in-phase signal and a quadrature signal; generating a first signal of a signal channel based on the downconverted signal; generating a second signal of an image channel based on the downconverted signal; filtering the second signal using first weights to produce a pilot training signal; filtering the second signal using second weights to produce an image cancellation signal; generating an output signal by subtracting the image cancellation signal from the first signal to resolve the desired signal; updating the first weights based on the first weights, the second signal, the pilot training signal, and a pilot signal; and updating the second weights based on the second weights, the output signal, and the pilot training signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 13, 2012
    Publication date: January 24, 2013
    Inventors: Shaoan Dai, Runsheng He
  • Patent number: 8358996
    Abstract: A receiver (10) for extracting a desired signal component (70) from a received signal, which received signal contains the desired signal component (70) and may contain an interfering signal component (72), wherein the receiver (10) comprises a first mixer (16) which generates an intermediate frequency signal containing a frequency-shifted version of the received signal and a frequency-shifted version of an image of the received signal, the receiver further comprising: a second mixer (26) for shifting the desired signal component (70) of the intermediate frequency signal such that it is centered on a baseband frequency, so as to generate a first composite signal containing the shifted desired signal component (70) and a shifted version of any interfering signal component (76) contained in the image of the received signal; a third mixer (30) for shifting an image of the desired signal such that it is centered on the baseband frequency, so as to generate a second composite signal containing the shifted image (74
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 22, 2013
    Assignee: Cambridge Silicon Radio Limited
    Inventors: Shousheng He, Anders Berkeman
  • Patent number: 8340619
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a local oscillator (LO) is configured to generate an LO signal. A transmission line receives the LO signal from the local oscillator and transmits the LO signal. A first set of taps and a second set of taps tap the transmission line to receive the LO signal. A plurality of transceiver blocks are configured to receive and transmit a plurality of phase-shifted radio frequency signals. Each transceiver block is coupled to a first tap and a second tap. Each LO signal received for a transceiver block is received with a different phase. However, the same reference phase may be calculated from a first LO signal received from the first tap and a second LO signal received from a second tap. Each transceiver block receives the reference LO signal having the reference phase determined from the first LO signal and the second LO signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2012
    Assignee: Marvell International Ltd.
    Inventors: Alireza Shirvani-Mahdavi, Saeed Chehrazi
  • Publication number: 20120322398
    Abstract: A harmonic rejection mixer includes a first scaling circuit for scaling an RF signal to generate a plurality of scaled RF signals, a first switching stage for sampling the scaled RF signals using a first plurality of switching signals, and a second mixing stage for mixing the sampled RF signals with a second plurality of switching signals to generate a plurality of frequency translated signals having different phases. A combiner adds the frequency translated signals together to generate a first plurality of baseband versions of the RF signal. A first amplifier stage processes the first plurality of baseband versions to generate a second plurality of baseband versions. The mixer further includes a second scaling circuit for scaling the second plurality of baseband versions and a second amplifier stage to generate an in-phase baseband signal and a quadrature baseband signal from the scaled second plurality of baseband versions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 20, 2011
    Publication date: December 20, 2012
    Applicant: MAXLINEAR, INC.
    Inventors: Raja Pullela, Vamsi Paidi, Rahul Bhatia
  • Patent number: 8331896
    Abstract: A passive implementation of an image reject mixer (IRM), capable of operating at very high frequency, is operative according to the disclosed method. The IRM comprises a quad MOS multiplier and a lumped-element hybrid, resulting in a passive IRM. Operative at a radio frequency (RF) of tens of GHz with an intermediate frequency (IF) of several GHz. The RF+ and RF? signals are provided to two quad MOS multipliers. A local oscillator signal (LO) is used to provide LO+ and LO? signals to one of the multipliers and by providing the LO to a phase shifter, generated are a ninety degree shifted LO+ and LO? signals provided to the other multiplier. Providing the hybrids with the outputs of both multipliers and selecting an appropriate IF signal from each of the hybrids ensures the proper operation of the passive IRM.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2012
    Assignee: Theta S.A.
    Inventor: Ioannis Papananos
  • Patent number: 8326252
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a receiver includes parallel paths for signal channel processing and image channel processing. The paths may include a mixer to receive an intermediate frequency (IF) signal and to downconvert the IF signal to a channel baseband signal, a filter to generate a filtered channel value, a combiner to combine the channel baseband signal with a filtered channel value from the other path to obtain a channel path output, in addition to one or more controllers to generate a step control signal and update a weighting of the filters based at least in part on the step control signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2012
    Assignee: Silicon Laboratories Inc.
    Inventors: Junsong Li, John Khoury
  • Patent number: 8311155
    Abstract: Demodulator includes reception quality evaluation circuit for evaluating the quality of a received signal by comparison with a first reference value, and outputting an evaluation signal; and driving circuit receiving the evaluation signal. If reception quality evaluation circuit evaluates that the quality of the received signal is acceptable, power supply from driving circuit to DC offset control loop is stopped. This offers a high-frequency receiver that reduces power consumption.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 24, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2012
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Takashi Umeda, Hiroaki Ozeki, Akira Fujishima
  • Patent number: 8306498
    Abstract: Provided is a wideband receiver that has a smaller area and consumes less power and can prevent harmonic mixing occurring due to an increase in the number of communications systems using wideband. A wideband receiver according to an aspect of the invention may include: an front-end unit receiving and performing low-pass filtering on a wideband input signal in a continuous-time domain; and a down-conversion unit sampling and holding an output signal of the front-end unit according to a local oscillator signal and performing low-pass filtering on the output signal in a discrete tie domain.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2012
    Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
    Inventors: Hyun Kyu Yu, Joon Hee Lee, Seong Hwan Cho
  • Patent number: 8275338
    Abstract: The apparatus is a complete passive implementation of an image reject mixer (IRM) that is capable of operating at very high frequency. Using a hybrid as part of the IRM circuit enables operation at very high frequencies that also employs a high intermediate frequency (IF). All the components of the design are passive and implementable in MOS technologies providing significant cost and implementation advantages. Furthermore, the apparatus is operative at frequencies that are higher than several tens of GHz.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2012
    Assignee: Theta S.A.
    Inventor: Ioannis Papananos
  • Patent number: 8244202
    Abstract: A multiband receiver is disclosed for receiving a multiband RF signal having first and second RF bands. The first RF band contains a first service RF range, and the second RF band contains a second service RF range. The receiver includes a mixer for converting the RF signal into an IF signal, using a single local oscillator frequency “f,” and an IF bandpass filter for canceling out some of frequencies of the IF signal outside of a predetermined passband. The local oscillator frequency “f” is determined to allow the first and second service IF ranges to lie outside of the predetermined passband, and to allow a frequency portion of the first IF band exclusive of the first service IF range and a frequency portion of the second IF band exclusive of the second service IF range to lie within the predetermined passband.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2012
    Assignee: KDDI Corporation
    Inventor: Toru Kitayabu
  • Patent number: 8244197
    Abstract: In an image rejection mixer, when a signal in the first radio frequency band is inputted to an input terminal, the first mixer and the second mixer convert the input signal in the first radio frequency band to a signal in the first intermediate frequency band by using the first local signal from a local signal oscillator, and a filter circuit attenuates an image interfering signal existing in the first intermediate frequency band by means of the first attenuation band. Also, when a signal in the second radio frequency band is inputted to the input terminal, the first mixer and the second mixer convert the input signal in the second radio frequency band to a signal in the second intermediate frequency band by using the second local signal from the local signal oscillator, and the filter circuit attenuates an image interfering signal existing in the second intermediate frequency band by means of the second attenuation band that is narrower than the first attenuation band.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2012
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Takeshi Fujii, Hiroaki Ozeki, Mineyuki Iwaida
  • Patent number: 8238865
    Abstract: Embodiments of a system for calibrating the image rejection of a receiver include an image-rejection correction circuit that modifies the gain and phase of a first channel of a baseband image signal. The image-rejection correction circuit may include a summing circuit and first and second variable-gain elements. In one implementation, a filter receives a corrected first channel from the image-rejection correction circuit and an unmodified second channel of the image signal, while a controller analyzes power measured at the output of the filter, and adjusts the variable-gain elements to reduce the power of the image signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2012
    Assignee: Analog Devices, Inc.
    Inventors: Miguel Chanca, Ronan Casey, Patrick Crowley, Muhammad Khan, Philip Quinlan
  • Patent number: 8233871
    Abstract: An incompressible receiver for minimizing undesired higher-order nonlinear distortion products includes a first receiver path configured to receive an input signal having at least one non-baseband frequency. A second receiver path is also configured to receive the input signal. The second receiver path includes at least one odd-order nonlinear distortion reference component and at least one even-order nonlinear distortion reference component. The distortion reference components are configured to be in an “on” state or in an “off” state. A combining element is configured to combine input signals from the first and second receiver paths such that the higher-order nonlinear distortion signals are substantially attenuated at an output of the combining element. An incompressible receiver that has an odd-order nonlinear distortion reference generator including a cubic term and at least one additional term of order greater than 3 and an incompressible receiver front end amplifier (IRFEA) are also described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2012
    Assignee: California Institute of Technology
    Inventors: Edward Keehr, Seyed Ali Hajimiri
  • Patent number: 8213892
    Abstract: A FM-AM demodulator includes a FM signal amplifier, a local oscillator, an image oscillator, a first selector, a first orthogonal mixer, an AM signal amplifier, a first frequency divider, a second frequency divider, a second selector, a second orthogonal mixer, a third selector, a first filter, a first amplifier, a fourth selector, a second filter, a second amplifier, a first gain controller, an I/Q compensation unit, an IF oscillator, a third orthogonal mixer, an adder, a channel filter configured to extract a signal with a predetermined frequency band output from the adder, a third amplifier, a second gain controller, a demodulator, and an I/Q compensation controller configured to generate an I/Q compensation signal to use for adjusting phase and gain of the I signal used in an I/Q compensation unit by detecting amplitude of the output signal from the demodulator, and output the generated signal to the I/Q compensation unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2012
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventor: Nobunari Tsukamoto
  • Patent number: 8199845
    Abstract: A method, a system and a receiver device provide timing and frequency correction in a spatial division multiple access (SDMA) system. A timing and frequency correction (TFC) logic/utility obtains a timing error estimate by using pilot symbols on a slot of six tiles. The TFC logic estimates the timing error based on pilot phase differences between unique pairs of tiles when the frequency separation of the tiles is less than a threshold value. When none of the unique pairs of tiles satisfies the threshold value, the TFC logic estimates timing error based on an exhaustive search for each candidate phase error value. The TFC logic performs timing error correction via a timing error estimate based on pilots from the symbols received on each antenna. The TFC logic performs inexplicit frequency error correction according to phase differences based on relative symbol indices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2012
    Assignee: Motorola Mobility, Inc.
    Inventors: Xiaoyong Yu, Alan P. Rottinghaus, Timothy J. Wilson
  • Patent number: 8199864
    Abstract: A demodulator for demodulating a digital broadcast signal and a demodulation method thereof. A QPSK demodulator of a digital broadcast reception system includes an in-phase/quadrature (I/Q) detector. The I/Q detector generates a baseband I signal and a baseband Q signal by multiplying a modulated QPSK signal by an I/Q carrier signal. A bandwidth adjustable first filter receives the baseband I signal and the baseband Q signal generated by the I/Q detector and rejects imaginary noise included in the received signals. A data restoration unit restores original data before the signals output from the first filter are QPSK modulated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2012
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co, Ltd.
    Inventors: Min-ho Kim, Ki-dong Kang
  • Patent number: 8190115
    Abstract: Various example embodiments are disclosed. According to an example embodiment, an apparatus may comprise a first circuit, a second circuit, a transmission line coupled between the first circuit and the second circuit, and a Q-enhancement cell coupled to the transmission line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2012
    Assignee: Broadcom Corporation
    Inventors: Adedayo Ojo, Arya Behzad
  • Patent number: 8185080
    Abstract: A harmonic rejection mixer for carrying out a frequency translation of a mixer input signal having a mixer input frequency, the mixer including an up-conversion mixer for generating an intermediate signal by multiplying the mixer input signal with a first local oscillation signal having a first local oscillation frequency, and a down-conversion mixer for generating a mixer output signal by multiplying the intermediate signal with a second local oscillation signal having a second local oscillation frequency. The first local oscillation frequency and the second local oscillation frequency are greater than the mixer input frequency. The first local oscillation signal is an l-time oversampled sine wave and the second local oscillation signal is an m-time oversampled sine wave.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2012
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics Design & Application GmbH
    Inventors: Sebastian Zeller, Peter Kirchlechner, Martin Frey
  • Patent number: 8175550
    Abstract: Elimination of intermodulation interference in a wireless communication system by removing a portion of the spectrum of transmitted signals. According to a received indication of an occurrence of intermodulation interference experienced by a narrowband receiver, mappings are performed between the predetermined narrowband channel frequency on which the narrowband receiver operates and the occupied channel frequencies of at least one broadband transmit signal. Narrowband candidate frequency ranges that linearly combine into frequencies that overlap the predetermined narrowband channel frequency are determined based on the mappings. The narrowband candidate frequency ranges that potentially contribute to the intermodulation interference are then selectively filtered by at least one notch filter until the intermodulation interference is substantially eliminated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2012
    Assignee: Sprint Spectrum L.P.
    Inventors: Samuel M. Woleben, Mark L. Yarkosky, Robert C. Pippert
  • Patent number: 8175565
    Abstract: An RF receiver image rejection scheme. The RF is received and mixed in two quadrature channels allowing separation of the undesired image portion within the RF signal from the desired portion. The two channels can be summed to allow the image portions to cancel out and form a signal which is predominantly based on the desired portion. Another sum of the two channels can also be made to provide a signal which is primarily based on the image portion. Since there are some components of the image portion even in the compensated desired signal, that signal indicative of the image portion is used to compensate for that undesired portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2012
    Assignee: Marvell International Ltd.
    Inventor: Runsheng He
  • Patent number: 8169279
    Abstract: A notched SAW image frequency rejection filter system includes a SAW filter having an input, an output and a ground output and an impedance matching network including a first matching inductance connected to the SAW filter output and a second matching inductance connected to the ground output of the SAW filter; the SAW filter having an inherent internal capacitance that produces a predetermined capacitive leakage current at the image frequency; an inherent internal inductance that produces an inductance leakage current at the image frequency; and a boosted inherent parasitic ground inductance at the ground output of the SAW filter for generating a voltage across the second matching inductance to produce a compensation current which is substantially opposite in phase and substantially matched in magnitude with the capacitive leakage current for reducing the capacitive leakage current and increasing the image frequency rejection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2012
    Assignee: Lojack Operating Company, LP
    Inventor: Orest Fedan
  • Patent number: 8165554
    Abstract: A direct conversion radio frequency (RF) tuner includes a mixer generating I and Q quadrature components. A phase detection circuit generates a phase error measurement between the I quadrature component and the Q quadrature component. A phase correction circuit corrects a phase of the Q component based on the phase error measurement, and outputs a phase-corrected Q quadrature component. An I quadrature component gain control circuit receives the I quadrature component and outputting an amplitude corrected I quadrature component. A Q quadrature component gain control circuit receives the phase corrected Q quadrature component and outputs an amplitude corrected Q quadrature component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2012
    Inventor: Ramon A. Gomez
  • Patent number: 8160529
    Abstract: A radio frequency (RF) receiver includes a local oscillator (LO) module that receives a control signal and that generates a LO signal at a LO frequency that is based on the control signal, a LO mixer module that generates an intermediate frequency (IF) signal based on a radio frequency (RF) signal and the LO signals, a complex intermediate frequency (IF) mixer module that generates a baseband signal based on the IF signal and an IF oscillator signal, and a channel monitoring module that generates the control signal based on the baseband signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2012
    Assignee: Marvell International Ltd.
    Inventors: Patrick Clement, King Chun Tsai
  • Patent number: 8150356
    Abstract: A polynomial nonlinear term generator is configured to receive an RF signal. An analog cubic term generator generates an analog cubic term signal and an analog square term generator generates an analog square term signal, both derived from the RF signal. A cubic term mixer assembly mixes a local oscillator (LO) signal with the cubic term signal to generate a synthetic IM3 signal. A square term ADC provides a digital square term signal and a cubic term ADC provides a digital cubic term signal. At least one digital multiplier has a first multiplier input terminal configured to receive a selected one of the digital square term signal and the digital cubic term signal, and a second multiplier input terminal configured to receive the digital square term signal. The multiplier provides as output a digital IMn product where n is greater than 3. A corresponding method is also described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2012
    Assignee: California Institute of Technology
    Inventors: Edward Keehr, Seyed Ali Hajimiri
  • Patent number: 8150358
    Abstract: A method is disclosed for performing dual mode image rejection calibration in a receiver. A first image correction factor is acquired using a first known signal associated with a first signal band during a startup mode. The first image correction factor has a plurality of bits including most significant bits (MSBs) and least significant bits (LSBs). The LSBs of the first image correction factor are adjusted incrementally during a normal operation mode. A radio frequency (RF) signal associated with the first signal band is received using the first image correction factor during the normal operation mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2012
    Assignee: Silicon Laboratories Inc.
    Inventors: Tod Paulus, Donald A. Kerth, Srihari Adireddy, G. Diwakar Vishakadatta
  • Patent number: 8140043
    Abstract: A disdosed method tunes a signal from a channelized spectrum having a predetermined channel spacing. A signal of interest having a predetermined maximum bandwidth is mixed with a local oscillator signal, which has a frequency that is an integer multiple of the channel spacing or one-half of a channel spacing displaced from an integer multiple of the channel spacing. The local oscillator signal is selected to frequency translate the signal of interest to within a near-baseband passband whose lower edge is spaced from DC by at least about the maximum bandwidth of the signal of interest. Problems associated with 1/f noise, DC offsets, and self-mixing products are avoided or substantially diminished. Other methods and systems are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2012
    Assignee: University of Washington
    Inventor: Edwin A. Suominen