Systems and methods for general-purpose, high-performance transversal filter processing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12218399-B2
Application number	US-202318386714-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 3, 2023
Priority date	Mar 18, 2019
Publication date	Feb 4, 2025
Grant date	Feb 4, 2025

Abstract

A transversal radio frequency filter circuit having a low noise amplifier connected along an input signal path, a first power divider connected between the low noise amplifier and four single taps, and an output path connected to the outputs of each of the four single taps. Each of the four single taps having a coefficient control mechanism, a polarity selection mechanism, and a time delay element. The coefficient control mechanism can include a wideband digital step attenuator configured to support high control range of the coefficient. Additionally, the circuit can include a second power divider connected between the outputs of each of the four single taps and the output path. The circuit can further include a field-programmable gate array configured to control coefficient control mechanisms, the polarity selection mechanisms, and the time delay elements (when they are variable time delay elements).

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A circuit comprising:
one or more tap signal paths, each tap signal path comprising:
an input:
a coefficient control mechanism;
a polarity selection mechanism; and
an output; and

one or more time delay elements, each time delay element comprising:
an input; and
an output.

2. The circuit of claim 1 , wherein the circuit is a reconfigurable filter for tunable filtering across frequencies from 2 to 20 gigahertz.

3. The circuit of claim 1 , wherein components of the circuit are dynamically reconfigurable RF components configured to provide one or more features selected from a group consisting of:
adjustable RF front-end filtering;
pre-linearization of a signal for amplifier saturation compensation;
direct throughput matched filtering; and
a combination thereof.

4. The circuit of claim 1 further comprising:
an input signal path; and
an output signal path;
wherein the input signal path is connected to each of the tap signal path inputs;
wherein each tap signal path output is connected to a respective one of the time delay element inputs; and
wherein each of the tap signal path outputs is connected to the output signal path.

5. The circuit of claim 4 further comprising:
a first power divider connected between the input signal path and at least one of the one or more tap signal path inputs.

6. The circuit of claim 5 further comprising:
a second power divider connected between at least one of the one or more time delay element outputs and the output signal path.

7. A circuit comprising:
single taps, each of the single taps comprising:
a coefficient control mechanism; and
a polarity selection mechanism;

time delay elements; and
an output signal path;
wherein the time delay elements are connected between the single taps and the output signal path.

8. The circuit of claim 7 further comprising:
a first power divider connected to the single taps; and
a second power divider connected between the time delay elements and the output signal path.

9. The circuit of claim 7 , wherein the circuit is a reconfigurable filter for tunable filtering across frequencies from 2 to 20 gigahertz; and
wherein components of the circuit are dynamically reconfigurable RF components configured to provide one or more features selected from a group consisting of:
adjustable RF front-end filtering;
pre-linearization of a signal for amplifier saturation compensation;
direct throughput matched filtering; and
a combination thereof.

10. An integrated circuit comprising:
a first power divider connected to tap signal paths; and
an output signal path connected to an output of each tap signal path;
wherein each tap signal path comprises:
a coefficient control mechanism;
a polarity selection mechanism; and
a time delay element.

11. The integrated circuit of claim 10 , wherein one or more of:
the coefficient control mechanism is selected from a group consisting of a wideband digital step attenuator, a variable digital attenuator, a variable analog attenuator, a variable gain amplifier, a vector modulator, and a combination thereof;
the polarity selection mechanism comprises one or more components selected from a group consisting of a switch, an active balun, a passive balun, a transformer, a phase shifter, a vector modulator, and a combination thereof, or
the time delay element is selected from a group consisting of a fixed delay element, a variable delay element, and a combination thereof.

12. The integrated circuit of claim 10 further comprising a field-programmable gate array configured to control one or more of the coefficient control mechanism, the polarity selection mechanism, or the time delay element being a variable time delay element.

13. The integrated circuit of claim 10 , wherein the integrated circuit is a transversal radio frequency filter integrated circuit; and
wherein the circuit further comprises a wideband reconfigurable transceiver connected to one of an input signal path and the output signal path.

14. The integrated circuit of claim 10 further comprising:
a first amplifier; and
a second power divider;
wherein the integrated circuit is a transversal radio frequency filter integrated circuit;
wherein the first power divider is connected between the first amplifier and tap signal paths; and
wherein the second power divider is connected between the output of each tap signal path and the output signal path.

15. The integrated circuit of claim 14 , wherein one or more of:
the first power divider comprises a wideband active power divider;
the second power divider comprises a Wilkinson Power Divider;
a time delay of each of the tap signal paths is configured to provide a fixed time delay to a signal traversing the corresponding tap signal path;
the time delay of each of the tap signal paths is in an active inductance peaking delay configuration;
the coefficient control mechanism comprises a wideband digital step attenuator configured to support high control range of the coefficient control mechanism; or
the polarity selection mechanism comprises a wideband balun and a switch.

Assignees

• Georgia Tech Res Inst

Inventors

• Lourenco Nelson Estacio
• Cardoso Adilson Silva
• Cho Moon-Kyu
• Coen Christopher Timothy
• Cressler John D
• Denison Douglas Robert
• Hunter William B
• Song Ickhyun

Classifications

• H03K19/173

  using elementary logic circuits as components · CPC title

• H03H11/32

  Networks for transforming balanced signals into unbalanced signals and vice versa, e.g. baluns · CPC title

• H03F2200/294

  the amplifier being a low noise amplifier [LNA] · CPC title

• H03F3/04

  with semiconductor devices only · CPC title

• H03F1/18

  by use of distributed coupling {, i.e. distributed amplifiers (distributed amplifiers using coupling networks with distributed constants H03F3/605)} · CPC title