Radar systems and methods having isolator driven mixer

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2021364595-A1
Application number	US-202117398276-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Aug 10, 2021
Priority date	Dec 28, 2018
Publication date	Nov 25, 2021
Grant date	—

Abstract

Radar circuitry can include an isolator and a mixer. The isolator can isolate a transmission signal path and a reception signal path from each other, and generate a mixing (e.g. oscillation) signal based on a transmission signal. The isolator can be coupled to the mixer such that the drive signal drives the mixer (e.g. serves as the local oscillation signal of the mixer). The mixer mixes a received signal and the drive signal to generate a converted signal (e.g. a down-converted signal). The isolator can be a hybrid transformer or electrically balanced duplexer.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A radar circuitry, comprising:
a hybrid transformer configured to:
isolate a transmission signal path and a reception signal path from each other;
couple the transmission signal path and the reception signal path to an input/output (I/O) port; and
separate a transmission power signal into a local oscillation (LO) signal and a transmission signal; and
a mixer coupled to the hybrid transformer and configured to receive the LO signal and to mix a signal received via the I/O port with the LO signal to generate a converted signal.

2 . The radar circuitry of claim 1 , wherein the transmission signal path is coupled to the mixer via the hybrid transformer.

3 . The radar circuitry of claim 1 , further comprising:
an impedance tuner configured to adjust an impedance of a port of the hybrid transformer, the impedance tuner being coupled to the mixer at which the LO signal is provided.

4 . The radar circuitry of claim 3 , further comprising:
an antenna coupled to the I/O port, wherein the signal received via the I/O port is received via the antenna.

5 . The radar circuitry of claim 4 , further comprising:
an impedance tuner configured to adjust an impedance of a port of the hybrid transformer from which the LO signal is provided, the impedance tuner being coupled to the mixer to match an impedance of the antenna at the I/O port.

6 . The radar circuitry of claim 1 , wherein the mixer down converts the signal received via the I/O port based on the LO signal to generate the converted signal.

7 . The radar circuitry of claim 1 , wherein the hybrid transformer comprises a transmission port, a receiving port, and a balanced port, the transmission port being coupled to the transmission signal path and the receiving port being coupled to the reception signal path, the hybrid transformer being configured to (i) separate the transmission power signal between the balanced port and the I/O port, and (ii) separate the signal that is received via the I/O port between the transmission port and the receiving port, and further comprising:
an impedance tuner configured to adjust an impedance of the balanced port to match an input impedance of an antenna that is coupled to the isolator via the I/O port, the isolation provided between the transmission signal path and the reception signal path being dependent on the impedance matching between the balanced port and the I/O port.

8 . A radar signal processing method, comprising:
isolating a transmission signal path and a reception signal path from each other to separate a transmission power signal on the transmission signal path into an oscillation signal and a transmission signal; and providing the oscillation signal to a mixer via a signal path to drive the mixer with the oscillation signal to convert a signal provided on the reception signal path.

9 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the transmission signal path and the reception signal path are coupled to an input/output (I/O) signal path by an isolator, the method further comprising:
matching respective impedances of the signal path and the I/O signal path.

10 . The method of claim 8 , further comprising:
coupling the transmission signal path to the mixer via a hybrid transformer.

11 . The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
coupling an impedance tuner to the mixer at which the oscillation signal is provided, the impedance tuner adjusting an impedance of a port of the hybrid transformer.

12 . The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
coupling an antenna to an input/ouput (I/O) port of a hybrid transformer, the signal provided on the reception signal path being received via the antenna.

13 . The method of claim 12 , further comprising:
coupling the impedance tuner coupled to the mixer; and adjusting, via the impedance tuner, an impedance of a port of the hybrid transformer from which the oscillation signal is provided to match an impedance of the antenna at the I/O port.

14 . The method of claim 8 , further comprising:
down converting, via the mixer, the signal provided on the reception signal path based on the the oscillation signal to convert the signal provided on the reception signal path to a converted signal.

15 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the hybrid transformer comprises a transmission port, a receiving port, and a balanced port, and further comprising:
coupling the transmission port to the transmission signal path; coupling the receiving port being to the reception signal path; separating the transmission power signal between the balanced port and the I/O port; separating the signal provided on the reception signal path between the transmission port and the receiving port; and adjusting, via an impedance tuner, an impedance of the balanced port to match an input impedance of an antenna that is coupled to the hybrid transformer via the I/O port, the isolation provided between the transmission signal path and the reception signal path being dependent on the impedance matching between the balanced port and the I/O port.

16 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium including instructions that, when executed by processing circuitry, cause the processor circuitry to:
isolate a transmission signal path and a reception signal path from each other to separate a transmission power signal on the transmission signal path into an oscillation signal and a transmission signal; and provide the oscillation signal to a mixer via a signal path to drive the mixer with the oscillation signal to convert a signal provided on the reception signal path.

17 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16 , wherein the transmission signal path and the reception signal path are coupled to an input/output (I/O) signal path by an isolator, the instructions, when executed by the processing circuitry, further cause the processing circuitry to match respective impedances of the signal path and the I/O signal path.

18 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16 , wherein:
the transmission signal path and the reception signal path are coupled to an I/O signal path by a hybrid transformer, an impedance tuner is coupled to the mixer at which the oscillation signal is provided, and the instructions, when executed by the processing circuitry, further cause the processing circuitry to adjust, via the impedance tuner, an impedance of a port of the hybrid transformer.

19 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16 , wherein:
an antenna is coupled to an input/ouput (I/O) port of a hybrid transformer, the signal provided on the reception signal path being received via the antenna, an impedance tuner is coupled to the mixer, and the instructions, when executed by the processing circuitry, further cause the processing circuitry to adjust, via the impedance tuner, an impedance of a port of a hybrid transformer from which the oscillation signal is provided to match an impedance of the antenna at the I/O port.

20 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16 , wherein:
the hybrid transformer comprises a transmission port, a receiving port, and a balanced port, the transmission port is coupled to the transmission signal path, the receiving port is coupled to the reception signal path, and the transmission power signal is separated between the balanced port and the I/O port; the signal provided on the reception signal path is separated between the transmission port and the receiving port, and the inst

Assignees

• Intel Corp

Inventors

• Shin Woorim
• Hull Christopher
• Pellerano Stefano

Classifications

• G01S7/034 Primary

  Duplexers (switching devices for waveguides H01P1/10; transmit-receive switching in transceivers H04B1/44) · CPC title

• G01S7/038

  Feedthrough nulling circuits · CPC title

• G01S7/036 Primary

  involving a transfer mixer · CPC title