Mixer circuitry

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11128258-B2
Application number	US-202017115349-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 8, 2020
Priority date	Dec 20, 2019
Publication date	Sep 21, 2021
Grant date	Sep 21, 2021

Abstract

Differential mixer circuitry comprising: first and second input-voltage nodes and first and second input-current nodes; a passive network of impedances connected between the first and second input-voltage nodes and the first and second input-current nodes, and configured to convert first and second input-voltage signals received at the first and second input-voltage nodes, respectively, into first and second input-current signals provided at the first and second input-current nodes, respectively, the first and second input-voltage signals defining a differential input-voltage signal having an input frequency, and the first and second input-current signals defining a differential input-current signal; and a mixing stage configured to mix the differential input-current signal with at least one mixing signal having a corresponding mixing frequency and output a differential output signal having an output frequency dependent on the input frequency and each mixing frequency.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. Differential mixer circuitry comprising:
first and second input-voltage nodes and first and second input-current nodes;
a passive network of impedances connected between the first and second input-voltage nodes and the first and second input-current nodes, and configured to convert first and second input-voltage signals received at the first and second input-voltage nodes, respectively, into first and second input-current signals provided at the first and second input-current nodes, respectively, the first and second input-voltage signals defining a differential input-voltage signal having an input frequency, and the first and second input-current signals defining a differential input-current signal; and
a mixing stage configured to mix the differential input-current signal with at least one mixing signal having a corresponding mixing frequency and output a differential output signal having an output frequency dependent on the input frequency and each mixing frequency,
wherein the passive network of impedances comprises:
a tail node for connection to a voltage source;
a first tail-side impedance connected between the first input-voltage node and the tail node and a first mixer-side impedance connected between the first input-voltage node and the first input-current node; and
a second tail-side impedance connected between the second input-voltage node and the tail node and a second mixer-side impedance connected between the second input-voltage node and the second input-current node.

2. The differential mixer circuitry as claimed in claim 1 , comprising first and second output-current nodes, wherein:
the mixing stage is connected between the first and second input-current nodes and the first and second output-current nodes, and is configured to mix the first and second input-current signals with the at least one mixing signal to generate first and second output-current signals at the first and second output-current nodes, respectively, and defining the differential output signal.

3. The differential mixer circuitry as claimed in claim 2 , wherein:
the passive network of impedances forms a voltage-to-current conversion stage of the differential mixer circuitry; and/or
the differential mixer circuitry comprises a current-to-voltage conversion stage connected to the output-current nodes and configured to convert the first and second output-current signals provided at the first and second output-current nodes, respectively, into first and second output-voltage signals also provided at the first and second output-current nodes, respectively.

4. The differential mixer circuitry as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the mixing stage comprises at least a first mixer sub-stage, where X≥2, and the first mixer sub-stage comprises:
first and second arrays of switches each comprising X switches, X upstream nodes and X downstream nodes, the switches of each array connected between the upstream nodes and the downstream nodes, respectively, of that array along respective current paths,
wherein:
the upstream nodes of the first array of the first mixer sub-stage are connected to the first input-current node and the upstream nodes of the second array of the first mixer sub-stage are connected to the second input-current node;
the downstream nodes of the first and second arrays of the first mixer sub-stage are connected to the output-current nodes along current paths arranged so that said first and second output-current signals are provided at the first and second output-current nodes, respectively; and
in a first operation mode of the differential mixer circuitry, the at least one mixing signal comprises at least a first sub-stage mixing signal being an X-phase mixing signal and the switches of each array are configured to be controlled by respective phases of the first sub-stage mixing signal,
optionally wherein:
the mixing stage comprises at least a second mixer sub-stage comprising a plurality of arrays of switches each comprising Y switches, Y upstream nodes and Y downstream nodes, where Y≥2, the switches of each array connected between the upstream nodes and the downstream nodes, respectively, of that array along respective current paths;
the downstream nodes of the first and second arrays of the first mixer sub-stage are connected to the output-current nodes along current paths arranged to pass via the switches of the arrays of the second mixer sub-stage so that said first and second output-current signals are provided at the first and second output-current nodes, respectively; and
in the first operation mode, the at least one mixing signal comprises at least a second sub-stage mixing signal being a Y-phase mixing signal, and the switches of each array of the second mixer sub-stage are configured to be controlled by respective phases of the second sub-stage mixing signal.

5. Integrated circuitry such as an IC chip and/or ADC circuitry comprising the circuitry as claimed in claim 1 .

6. Differential mixer circuitry comprising:
first and second input-voltage nodes and first and second input-current nodes;
a passive network of impedances connected between the first and second input-voltage nodes and the first and second input-current nodes, and configured to convert first and second input-voltage signals received at the first and second input-voltage nodes, respectively, into first and second input-current signals provided at the first and second input-current nodes, respectively, the first and second input-voltage signals defining a differential input-voltage signal having an input frequency, and the first and second input-current signals defining a differential input-current signal; and
a mixing stage configured to mix the differential input-current signal with at least one mixing signal having a corresponding mixing frequency and output a differential output signal having an output frequency dependent on the input frequency and each mixing frequency,
wherein the passive network of impedances comprises:
a tail node for connection to a voltage source;
a first tail-side impedance connected between the first input-current node and the tail node and a first input-side impedance connected between the first input-current node and the first input-voltage node; and
a second tail-side impedance connected between the second input-current node and the tail node and a second input-side impedance connected between the second input-current node and the second input-voltage node.

7. The differential mixer circuitry as claimed in claim 6 , comprising first and second output-current nodes, wherein:
the mixing stage is connected between the first and second input-current nodes and the first and second output-current nodes, and is configured to mix the first and second input-current signals with the at least one mixing signal to generate first and second output-current signals at the first and second output-current nodes, respectively, and defining the differential output signal.

8. The differential mixer circuitry as claimed in claim 7 , wherein:
the passive network of impedances forms a voltage-to-current conversion stage of the differential mixer circuitry; and/or
the differential mixer circuitry comprises a current-to-voltage conversion stage connected to the output-current nodes and configured to convert the first and second output-current signals provided at the first and second output-current nodes, respectively, into first and second output-voltage signals also provided at the first and second output-current nodes, respectively.

9. The differential mixer circuitry as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the mixing stage comprises at least a first mixer sub-stage, where X≥2, and the first mixer sub-stage comprises:
f

Assignees

• Socionext Inc

Inventors

• Jalili Sebardan Armin

Classifications

• H03D7/1491

  Arrangements to linearise a transconductance stage of a mixer arrangement · CPC title

• H03D7/166 Primary

  using two or more quadrature frequency translation stages · CPC title

• H03D7/1458 Primary

  Double balanced arrangements, i.e. where both input signals are differential · CPC title

• H03D2200/0019

  Gilbert multipliers · CPC title

• H03D2200/005

  Analog to digital conversion · CPC title