Partial-fractional phase-locked loop with sigma delta modulator and finite impulse response filter

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12395178-B2
Application number	US-202318447221-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 9, 2023
Priority date	Jun 8, 2022
Publication date	Aug 19, 2025
Grant date	Aug 19, 2025

Abstract

An electronic device may include wireless circuitry having mixer circuitry configured to receive oscillator signals from a partial-fractional phase-locked loop (PLL). The partial-fractional PLL may include a phase frequency detector, a charge pump, a loop filter, and a frequency divider connected in a loop. To implement the partial-fractional capability of the PLL, the frequency divider may receive a bitstream from a first order sigma delta modulator and a finite impulse response filter. The first order sigma delta modulator may output a periodic non-randomized output. The finite impulse response filter may increase the frequency of toggling of the periodic non-randomized output. Configured and operated in this way, the partial-fractional PLL can exhibit reduced phase noise.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. Wireless circuitry comprising:
a first mixer having an input configured to receive a first oscillator signal;
a second mixer coupled in series with the first mixer and having an input configured to receive a second oscillator signal;
a partial-fractional phase-locked loop circuit configured to generate the first oscillator signal; and
a phase-locked loop circuit of a different type than the partial-fractional phase-locked loop circuit, the phase-locked loop circuit being configured to generate the second oscillator signal.

2. The wireless circuitry of claim 1 , wherein the partial-fractional phase-locked loop circuit comprises:
a phase frequency detector having a first input configured to receive a reference clock signal;
charge pump and loop filter circuitry having an input coupled to the phase frequency detector;
a voltage-controlled oscillator having an input coupled to the charge pump and loop filter circuitry; and
a frequency divider having an input coupled to the voltage-controlled oscillator and having an output coupled to a second input of the phase frequency detector.

3. The wireless circuitry of claim 2 , wherein the partial-fractional phase-locked loop circuit further comprises:
a first order sigma delta modulator having an output on which a periodic bitstream is generated and is coupled to the frequency divider.

4. The wireless circuitry of claim 3 , wherein the partial-fractional phase-locked loop circuit further comprises:
a finite impulse response filter having an input configured to receive the periodic bitstream from the output of the first order sigma delta modulator and having an output coupled to the frequency divider.

5. The wireless circuitry of claim 4 , wherein the finite impulse response filter comprises:
a plurality of flip-flops connected in a chain;
a plurality of adders having inputs coupled to respective outputs of the plurality of flip-flops; and
a plurality of multipliers having inputs coupled to respective outputs of the plurality of adders and configured to receive adjustable filter coefficients.

6. The wireless circuitry of claim 5 , wherein the finite impulse response filter further comprises:
an output adder configured to receive signals from the plurality of multipliers.

7. The wireless circuitry of claim 6 , wherein the finite impulse response filter further comprises:
a bit reduction circuit configured to receive signals from the output adder.

8. The wireless circuitry of claim 5 , wherein the finite impulse response filter further comprises:
a signal clipping circuit coupled to an input of the chain of flip-flops.

9. The wireless circuitry of claim 4 , wherein the partial-fractional phase-locked loop circuit further comprises:
a multiplexing circuit having a first input coupled to the output of the first order sigma delta modulator, a second input coupled to the output of the finite impulse response filter, and an output coupled to the frequency divider.

10. A method of operating wireless circuitry comprising:
with a first mixer, receiving a first oscillator signal;
with a second mixer coupled in series with the first mixer, receiving a second oscillator signal;
with a partial-fractional phase-locked loop, generating the first oscillator signal; and
with a phase-locked loop of a different type than the partial-fractional phase-locked loop, generating the second oscillator signal.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
with the first mixer, receiving a radio-frequency signal from an antenna,
with the second mixer, outputting a baseband signal to an analog-to-digital converter.

12. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
with a phase frequency detector in the partial-fractional phase-locked loop, receiving a reference clock signal;
with a frequency divider in the partial-fractional phase-locked loop, outputting a divided clock signal to the phase frequency detector;
with a finite impulse response filter in the partial-fractional phase-locked loop, outputting a signal to the frequency divider.

13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising:
with a first order sigma delta modulator in the partial-fractional phase-locked loop, outputting a signal to the finite impulse response filter.

14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising
a multiplexing circuit in the partial-fractional phase-locked loop, selecting between the signal output from the first order sigma delta modulator and the signal output from the finite impulse response filter.

15. The method of claim 13 , further comprising:
with a chain of flip-flops in the finite impulse response filter, receiving the signal output from the first order sigma delta modulator;
with adders in the finite impulse response filter, receiving signals from the chain of flip-flops; and
with multipliers in the finite impulse response filter, receiving signals from the adders and receiving adjustable filter coefficients.

16. Circuitry comprising:
a first mixer configured to receive radio-frequency signals from an antenna;
a second mixer configured to receive demodulated signals from the first mixer;
a partial-fractional phase-locked loop configured to output a first oscillating signal to the first mixer; and
a full-fractional phase-locked loop configured to output a second oscillating signal to the second mixer.

17. The circuitry of claim 16 , wherein the partial-fractional phase-locked loop comprises:
a phase frequency detector having a first input configured to receive a reference clock signal;
a frequency divider coupled between an output of the phase frequency detector and a second input of the phase frequency detector;
a sigma delta modulator; and
a filter having an input coupled to an output of the sigma delta modulator and having an output coupled to the frequency divider.

18. The circuitry of claim 17 , wherein the sigma delta modulator comprises a non-dithered first order sigma delta modulator configured to generate a periodic bitstream.

19. The circuitry of claim 18 , wherein the filter comprises a finite impulse response filter configured to:
receive the periodic bitstream at its input; and
output a corresponding bitstream with a higher toggling frequency than the received periodic bitstream.

20. The circuitry of claim 16 , wherein the partial-fractional phase-locked loop exhibits a first amount of phase noise during normal operation and wherein the full-fractional phase-locked loop exhibits a second amount of phase noise greater than the first amount of phase noise.

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Agarwal Reetika K
• Komijani Abbas
• Wang Hongrui

Classifications

• H03L7/091

  the phase or frequency detector using a sampling device (H03L7/087 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H03L7/185

  using a mixer in the loop (H03L7/187 - H03L7/195 take precedence) · CPC title

• H04L7/033

  using the transitions of the received signal to control the phase of the synchronising-signal-generating means, e.g. using a phase-locked loop · CPC title

• H03C3/0941

  applying frequency modulation at more than one point in the loop · CPC title

• H03L7/099

  concerning mainly the controlled oscillator of the loop · CPC title