Signal processing device, amplifier, and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016261304-A1
Application number	US-201415028232-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Oct 14, 2014
Priority date	Oct 11, 2013
Publication date	Sep 8, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

An active electronic device that enables bidirectional communication over a single antenna or path is disclosed. The device may be characterized by a forward path (from an input to an antenna port) offering high gain, and a reverse path (to a receiver port) that can be configured as an finite impulse response (“FIR”) filter. An amplifier of the device is disclosed, the amplifier allowing for tuning of output resistance using passive mixers.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A reconfigurable distributed signal processing device, comprising:
a plurality of gain cells, each gain cell having an input and an output, and wherein each gain cell is configured to amplify an electrical signal received at the input by a gain; a plurality of drain delay cells, each drain delay cell having an first terminal and an second terminal, wherein each drain delay cell is configured to delay an electrical signal between the first and second terminals by a delay, and wherein each drain delay cell is disposed between the outputs of two gain cells such that the drain delay cells form a drain line having a receiver end and an antenna end; a plurality of gate delay cells, each gate delay cell having an input terminal for a transmit signal and an output terminal in electrical communication with the input of a corresponding gain cell, wherein each gate delay cell is configured to delay an electrical signal between the input and output terminals by delay; and a controller configured to determine a transfer function of the device for automatic selection of the gains of the gain cells and/or the delays of the drain and gate delay cells such that the amplified signals from each gain cell are substantially nulled at the receiver end of the drain line and amplified at the antenna end of the drain line.

2 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the delay of each gate delay cell is the same as the delay of a corresponding drain delay cell.

3 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the delay of each gate delay cell is different from the delay of a corresponding drain delay cell.

4 . The device of claim 1 , wherein each gate delay cell comprises a transmit mixer configured to upconvert the transmit signal.

5 . The device of claim 4 , wherein the transmit mixer is an 8-phase mixer configured to suppress 3 rd and 5 th harmonic upconversion.

6 . The device of claim 4 , wherein each gate delay cell comprises a quadrature phase rotator and the transmit mixer is configured for quadrature upconversion.

7 . The device of claim 1 , wherein each gate delay cell is disposed between the inputs of two gain cells such that the gate delay cells form a gate line having a transmitter end.

8 . The device of claim 1 , wherein each drain delay cell has an inductance and a capacitance.

9 . The device of claim 8 , wherein each drain delay cell comprises an inductor.

10 . The device of claim 8 , wherein each drain delay cell comprises an inductor-capacitor pi- network having one or more stages.

11 . The device of claim 1 , wherein each gain cell comprises a cascode having a common source amplifier in electrical communication with one or more common gate amplifiers.

12 . The device of claim 11 , wherein the one or more common gate amplifiers are configured to distribute a drain voltage swing across the common source amplifier and common gate amplifier(s) of the cascode.

13 . The device of claim 11 , wherein a source terminal of each common source amplifier is connected to a low supply voltage by way of a corresponding inductor.

14 . The device of claim 13 , wherein the low supply voltage is ground.

15 . The device of claim 14 , wherein the source terminal of each common source amplifier is further coupled to a corresponding passive mixer, each passive mixer having a plurality of baseband mixer ports capacitively coupled to ground, wherein each passive mixer is configured to downconvert a signal received from the common source amplifier and provide a plurality of baseband signals to a corresponding port of the plurality of baseband mixer ports, each baseband signal having a predetermined phase of a plurality of predetermined phases.

16 . The transceiver of claim 15 , wherein a switching frequency of each passive mixer is different from the frequency of a transmission frequency.

17 . The transceiver of claim 16 , further comprising a receiver in electrical communication with the receiver end of the drain line, and wherein the switching frequency of each passive mixer is the same as a receiver frequency.

18 . The device of claim 1 , wherein, for an applied transmit signal, the controller is configured to optimize amplification at the antenna end, the null at the receiver end, and the power consumed by the device.

19 . A radio frequency amplifier, comprising
a common source amplifier having a signal input, an amplifier output, and a common terminal; an inductor connected to the common terminal, the inductor coupling the common terminal to a lower supply voltage; and a passive mixer connected to the common terminal, the passive mixer having a plurality of baseband mixer ports capacitively coupled to ground and configured to downconvert a signal received from the common terminal and provide a plurality of baseband signals to a corresponding port of the plurality of baseband mixer ports, each baseband signal having a predetermined phase of a plurality of predetermined phases.

20 . The amplifier of claim 19 , wherein the passive mixer is configured to provide a high RF impedance at its switching period, and low impedance at frequencies distant from that frequency.

21 . The amplifier of claim 19 , wherein the combination of passive mixer and inductor are configured to provide desired power gain at frequencies distant from the mixer's switching frequency, but much lower gain at and around the mixer's switching frequency.

22 . The amplifier of claim 19 , wherein the combination of passive mixer and inductor are configured to provide desired power gain at frequencies distant from the mixer's switching frequency, but lower noise and/or higher output impedance at and around the mixer's switching frequency.

23 . A method of automatic configuration of a signal processing device, comprising:
providing a device having a transmitter port, a receiver port, an antenna port, and a controller; splitting a signal received at the transmitter port into phase-shifted signals each having an initial phase-shift; amplifying each of the split signals by an initial gain; delaying each of the split signals such that the amplified split signals sum at the antenna port; determining a transfer function of the device using the controller by measuring the signal at the antenna port, the receiver port, and/or measuring a power consumption of the device; and automatically altering, using the controller, the initial gain and/or the initial phase shift according to the determined transfer function, such that: the amplified, split signals substantially null at the receiver port, the signals sum at the antenna port, and/or the power consumption of the device is reduced.

24 . The method of claim 23 , further comprising:
measuring a power consumption of one or more components of the device; and altering the initial gain and/or the initial phase shift to reduce the measured power consumption.

Assignees

• Univ Cornell

Inventors

• Apsel Alyssa
• Molnar Alyosha

Classifications

• H03F3/193

  with field-effect devices (H03F3/195 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H04L5/14

  Two-way operation using the same type of signal, i.e. duplex · CPC title

• H04B1/52 Primary

  Hybrid arrangements, i.e. arrangements for transition from single-path two-direction transmission to single-direction transmission on each of two paths or vice versa · CPC title

• H03F2200/75

  the amplifier stage being a common source configuration MOSFET · CPC title

• H03F2200/451

  the amplifier being a radio frequency amplifier · CPC title