Impulse generation method and impulse-radio transmitter

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12021557-B2
Application number	US-202318160474-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 27, 2023
Priority date	Feb 18, 2022
Publication date	Jun 25, 2024
Grant date	Jun 25, 2024

Abstract

A method of generating an impulse for impulse radio transmission signals and an impulse-radio ultra-wideband transmitter are provided. In one aspect, the method includes distributing input digital data according to time information data and amplitude information data along a first modulation path and a second modulation path, respectively. Pulse position modulation is performed based on the time information data along the first modulation path to define a timing position of the impulse. Pulse amplitude modulation is performed based on the amplitude information data along the second modulation path to define an envelope of the impulse. The input digital data can be distributed according to phase information data along a third modulation path, and phase shift keying modulation can be performed based on the phase information data along the third modulation path to define a phase of a carrier signal of the impulse.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of generating an impulse for impulse radio transmission signals, the method comprising:
distributing input digital data according to time information data and amplitude information data along a first modulation path and a second modulation path, respectively;
performing pulse position modulation based on the time information data along the first modulation path to define a timing position of the impulse; and
performing pulse amplitude modulation based on the amplitude information data along the second modulation path to define an envelope of the impulse.

2. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
distributing the input digital data according to at least one additional phase information data along at least a third modulation path; and
performing phase shift keying modulation based on the phase information data along the third modulation path to define a phase of a carrier signal of the impulse.

3. The method according to claim 2 , wherein at least one of the pulse position modulation, the pulse amplitude modulation, and the phase shift keying modulation has a modulation order higher than binary.

4. The method according to claim 2 , further comprising:
performing the pulse position modulation and the pulse amplitude modulation jointly within one impulse symbol period; or
performing the pulse position modulation, the pulse amplitude modulation, and the phase shift keying modulation jointly within one impulse symbol period.

5. The method according to claim 2 , further comprising:
distributing the input digital data along the first modulation path and the second modulation path after being synchronized with a system clock; or
distributing the input digital data along the first modulation path, the second modulation path, and the third modulation path after being synchronized with a system clock.

6. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
generating a unit pulse from a system clock to trigger the beginning of an impulse symbol;
modulating a delay of the unit pulse based on the time information data; and
setting a phase of a carrier signal at the beginning of the impulse symbol based on the phase information data.

7. The method according to claim 6 , further comprising defining a duty cycle for the unit pulse based on the time information data.

8. An impulse-radio ultra-wideband transmitter comprising:
a data distributor;
a first modulation path; and
a second modulation path,
wherein the data distributor is configured to distribute input digital data according to time information data and amplitude information data along the first modulation path and the second modulation path, respectively,
wherein the first modulation path comprises a pulse position modulator configured to perform pulse position modulation based on the time information data to define a timing position of an impulse, and
wherein the second modulation path comprises a pulse amplitude modulator configured to perform pulse amplitude modulation based on the amplitude information data to define an envelope of the impulse.

9. The transmitter according to claim 8 ,
wherein the transmitter comprises at least a third modulation path,
wherein the data distributor is configured to distribute the input digital data according to at least one additional phase information data along the third modulation path, and
wherein the third modulation path comprises a phase shift keying modulator configured to perform phase shift keying modulation based on the phase information data to define a phase of a carrier signal of the impulse.

10. The transmitter according to claim 9 , wherein at least one of the pulse position modulation, the pulse amplitude modulation, and the phase shift keying modulation has a modulation order higher than binary.

11. The method according to claim 9 ,
wherein the pulse position modulator and the pulse amplitude modulator jointly perform the pulse position modulation and the pulse amplitude modulation, respectively, within one impulse symbol period, or
wherein the pulse position modulator, the pulse amplitude modulator, and the phase shift keying modulator jointly perform the pulse position modulation, the pulse amplitude modulation, and the phase shift keying modulation, respectively, within one impulse symbol period.

12. The transmitter according to claim 9 , wherein the transmitter comprises a system clock, and
wherein the data distributor is configured to distribute the input digital data along the first modulation path and the second modulation path after being synchronized with the system clock, or
wherein the data distributor is configured to distribute the input digital data along the first modulation path, the second modulation path, and the third modulation path after being synchronized with the system clock.

13. The transmitter according to claim 9 , wherein the transmitter comprises an injection-locked ring oscillator configured to generate a carrier signal, the oscillator further configured to generate phases for the phase shift keying modulator based on the phase information data.

14. The transmitter according to claim 13 , wherein the oscillator is configured to generate the carrier signal with a frequency higher than a frequency of a system clock.

15. The transmitter according to any of claim 8 , wherein the transmitter comprises a pulse generator configured to generate a unit pulse from a system clock to trigger the beginning of an impulse symbol.

16. The transmitter according to claim 15 , wherein the transmitter comprises a control circuit configured to:
define a duty cycle for the unit pulse based on the time information data;
modulate a delay of the unit pulse based on the time information data; and
set the phase of a carrier signal at the beginning of the impulse symbol based on the phase information data.

17. A method of generating an impulse for impulse radio transmission signals, the method comprising:
distributing input digital data according to phase information data and time information data along a first modulation path and a second modulation path, respectively;
performing phase shift keying modulation based on the phase information data along the first modulation path to define a phase of a carrier signal of the impulse; and
performing pulse position modulation based on the time information data along the second modulation path to define a timing position of the impulse.

18. The method according to claim 17 , further comprising:
distributing the input digital data according to at least one additional amplitude information data along at least a third modulation path; and
performing pulse amplitude modulation based on the amplitude information data along the third modulation path to define an envelope of the impulse.

19. An impulse-radio ultra-wideband transmitter comprising:
a data distributor;
a first modulation path; and
a second modulation path,
wherein the data distributor is configured to distribute input digital data according to phase information data and time information data along the first modulation path and the second modulation path, respectively,
wherein the first modulation path comprises a phase shift keying modulator configured to perform phase shift keying modulation based on the phase information data to define a phase of carrier signal of the impulse, and
wherein the second modulation path comprises a pulse position modulator configured to perform pulse position modulation based on the time information data

Assignees

• Stichting Imec Nederland

Inventors

• Liu Yao-Hong
• Song Minyoung

Classifications

• H03K7/04

  Position modulation, i.e. PPM · CPC title

• H03K7/02

  Amplitude modulation, i.e. PAM · CPC title

• H03K3/02

  Generators characterised by the type of circuit or by the means used for producing pulses (H03K3/64 - H03K3/84 take precedence) · CPC title

• H04B1/7176 Primary

  Data mapping, e.g. modulation · CPC title

• H04B1/40 Primary

  Circuits · CPC title