This application claims the benefit of Taiwan application Serial No. 93105224 filed Feb. 27, 2004, the subject matter of which is incorporated herein by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates in general to a phase calibrating apparatus and the method thereof, and more particularly to a phase calibrating apparatus applied in a mixer and the method thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
Radio communication system uses a radio frequency receiver/transmitter to receive and transmit radio signal. An ordinary radio frequency receiver/transmitter so that the signal can achieve maximum volume transmission under particular circumstances.
Quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK) modulation is a commonly used phase modulating technique, whose design of using quadrature carrier signal of different phases to modulate data can transmit two bits at a time, thus enhancing the data rate of a radio system. The QPSK modulation signal includes two parts: in-phase signal and quadrature signal. After moderation, the in-phase signal and the quadrature signal are quadrature, mutual independent and without interference. A radio frequency receiver is exemplified below.
Referring to
After having been wave-mixed by the multiplier 132 and the in-phase local oscillating signal ΦI, and processed by a low-pass filter 140, the signal Si′ inputted via the I-path will output the in-phase signal SI (t). On the other hand, after having been wave-mixed by the multiplier 134 and the quadrature local oscillating signal ΦQ, and processed by a low-pass filter 150, the signal Si′ inputted via the Q-path will output the quadrature signal SQ (t). After the analog/digital conversion, the in-phase signal SI (t) and the quadrature signal SQ (t) are respectively inputted to the DSP unit 120 for subsequent digital signal processing.
Besides, in terms of the modulator as shown in
However, due to the difference in manufacturing process, the in-phase local oscillating signal ΦI and the quadrature local oscillating signal ΦQ, which are outputted by the local oscillator 136 and the phase shifter 138, might have errors rather than the precise 90 degrees in the phase difference value with regard to practical design of the mixer. Therefore, the in-phase signal SI (t) and the quadrature signal SQ (t) generated by the I-path and the Q-path will not match, and will correspond to a stellar diagram of QPSK modulation shown in
Conventional phase calibrating method according to prior art is incorporated with the above-disclosed DSP unit 120 and a few testing signals to evaluate the bias of the demodulator 110. Then, either perform calibration at the DSP unit 120 before leaving the factory or connect an indicator to an output terminal of the modulator 170 for detecting and resending the outputted modulation signal So to the DSP unit 160 as phase compensation.
However, using the DSP unit for phase calibrating will increase the level of complication in the design of the DSP unit. Due to an additional indicator and the re-design of DSP unit, the DSP unit will have more elements, occupy a larger space, consume more power and take a longer time for calibration.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a phase calibrating apparatus and the method thereof, which can be installed in a mixer for the comparison between a DC value, the product of the in-phase and the quadrature local oscillating signal, and the reference value. The method performs successive approximation algorithm according to the result of comparison to obtain a phase bias of modulating the mixer by the control signal without adding extra circuit to the DSP unit, not only simplifying the phase calibrating circuit but also enhancing the efficiency of phase calibrating.
According to the object of the invention, a phase calibrating apparatus applied in a mixer is provided. The mixer includes a signal generator for outputting a first signal and a second signal. The phase difference between the first signal and the second signal is a phase value. The phase calibrating apparatus is for modulating the phase value to a pre-determined value. The phase calibrating apparatus includes a multiplication unit and a comparator/controller unit. The multiplication unit is for possessing a multiplication of the first signal and the second signal to obtain a DC value corresponding to the phase value. The comparator/controller unit is for outputting a signal according to the comparison between the DC value and the reference value. The signal generator modulates the phase value according to the signal, so that the phase value is substantially equal to the pre-determined value.
The multiplication unit includes a multiplier and a sample/hold unit. The multiplier is for possessing a multiplication of the first signal and the second signal. The sample/hold unit is for sampling and holding the output of the multiplier so as to output the DC value.
The comparator/controller unit includes a comparer, a successive approximation register (SAR) unit and a digital/analog converter (DAC). The comparer is for comparing the DC value and the reference value and outputs the comparison value accordingly. When the phase value is equal to the pre-determined value, the DC value is substantially equal to the reference value. The SAR unit is for performing successive approximation algorithm according to the comparison value to output a digital signal. When the comparison value is renewed, the SAR unit re-modulates the value of the digital signal according to the renewed comparison value. The DAC converts the digital signal into the above-mentioned signal to control the signal generator. The SAR unit includes a control circuit and a SAR. The SAR is for storing the digital signal, while the control circuit is for modulating the digital signal according to the comparison value. Having the phase calibrating apparatus installed on the mixer directly simplifies the phase calibrating circuit.
According to the object of the invention, a mixer for processing an in-phase signal and a quadrature signal is provided. The mixer includes a signal generator, a first multiplier, a second multiplier and a phase calibrating apparatus. The signal generator is for outputting the first signal and the second signal. The phase difference between the first signal and the second signal is a phase value. The first multiplier receives the first signal and processes the wave-mixing routine of the in-phase signal, while the second multiplier receives the second signal and processes the wave-mixing routine of the quadrature signal. The phase calibrating apparatus is for modulating the phase value to the pre-determined value. The phase calibrating apparatus includes a multiplication unit and a comparator/controller unit. The multiplication unit is for possessing a multiplication of the first signal and the second signal to obtain a DC value corresponding to the phase value. The comparator/controller unit is for outputting a signal according to the comparison between the DC value and the reference value. The signal generator modulates the phase value according to the signal, so that the phase value is substantially equal to the pre-determined value.
The signal generator includes a local oscillator and a phase shifter, wherein the local oscillator uses the phase shifter to output a first signal and a second signal. The multiplication unit includes a multiplier and a sample/hold unit. The multiplier is for possessing a multiplication of the first signal and the second signal, while the sample/hold unit is for sampling and holding the output of the multiplier so as to output the DC value.
The mixer is applied in a demodulator, wherein the demodulator receives a modulation signal. The first signal inputted into the first multiplier is multiplied by the modulation signal to output an in-phase signal. The second signal inputted into the second multiplier is multiplied by the modulation signal to output a quadrature signal. The mixer can also be applied in the modulator. The modulation signal outputted by the modulator is equal to the addition of the output of the first multiplier and the second multiplier. The first multiplier receives the first signal and in-phase signal, while the second multiplier receives the second signal and quadrature signal. Having the phase calibrating apparatus directly installed on the mixer saves the complicated circuit test required in a conventional DSP unit.
According to another object of the invention, a phase calibrating method is provided. The method includes the steps disclosed below. Firstly, possess a multiplication of the first signal and the second signal to obtain a DC value corresponding to the phase value. Next, compare the DC value with the reference value to obtain a comparison value. Lastly, obtain a signal for modulating phase value according to the comparison value. Repeat the above steps until the phase value is substantially equal to the pre-determined value.
Of which, the step of obtaining a signal according to the comparison value further includes: possessing the successive approximation algorithm to obtain a digital signal according to the comparison value, re-modulating the value of the digital signal when the comparison value is renewed, and converting the digital signal into an analog signal to control the signal generator and modulate the phase value.
When the DC value is larger than the reference value, modulate the digital signal along the first direction to change the corresponding analog signal, furthermore, the signal generator modulates the phase value according to the analog signal to reduce the DC value. When the DC value is smaller than the reference value, modulate the digital signal along the second direction to change the corresponding analog signal, furthermore, the signal generator modulates the phase value according to the analog signal to enlarge the DC value. Possessing phase calibrating of the signal generator directly inside the mixer helps to increase the efficiency of phase calibrating.
Other objects, features, and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred but non-limiting embodiments. The following description is made with reference to the accompanying drawings.
The main feature of the phase calibrating apparatus according to the invention lies in directly installing a self-compensation circuit inside the demodulator or the modulator to modulate the phase bias of the local oscillating signal outputted by the local oscillator without using the DSP unit as an extra circuit of control, not only simplifying the calibrating process but also enhancing the efficiency of phase calibrating.
Referring to
Referring to
Besides, the comparator/controller unit 260 further includes a comparer 262, an SAR unit 264 and a DAC 266. The comparer 262 is for comparing the DC value D with the reference value Vref and outputs the comparison value Rc accordingly. When the DC value D is larger than the reference value Vref, the comparison value Rc is equal to 1; whereas when the DC value D is smaller than the reference value Vref, the comparison value Rc is equal to 0. The SAR unit 264 is for performing a successive approximation algorithm according to the comparison value Rc (1/0) to output a digital signal Sd. The SAR unit 264 further includes a control circuit 265 and an SAR 267. The SAR 267 is for storing the digital signal Sd, while the control circuit 265 is for modulating the digital signal Sd according to the comparison value Rc. The DAC 266 is for converting the digital signal Sd into the analog signal Sa to control the signal generator 210.
Besides, the phase calibrating apparatus 240 further includes a switch unit 270, which is controlled by the control circuit 265 and is used for controlling the input into the multiplication unit 250 from the first local oscillating signal ΦI and the second local oscillating signal ΦQ. When the phase calibrating apparatus 240 possesses phase calibrating of the signal generator 210, the switch unit 270 will be conducted, enabling the first local oscillating signal ΦI and the second local oscillating signal ΦQ to be inputted into the multiplication unit 250. When the phase calibrating apparatus 240 completes calibtating, the switch unit 270 will not be conducted, disabling the first local oscillating signal ΦI and the second local oscillating signal ΦQ to be inputted into the multiplication unit 250, lest the phase calibrating apparatus 240 might affect the subsequent operations of the mixer 200.
Referring to
Next, proceed to step 302: comparing the DC value D with the reference value Verve (=0) to obtain a comparison value Rc. When the DC value D is larger than 0, Rc will be equal to a logical value 1, whereas when the DC value D is smaller than 0, Rc will be equal to a logical value 0. After that, proceed to step 304: performing the successive approximation algorithm according to the comparison value Rc (1/0) to obtain a digital signal Sd. Lastly, proceed to step 306: converting the digital signal Sd into the analog signal Sa to control the signal generator 210 and adjust the phase difference Δφ value. Repeat the step 300 until the Δφ value is substantially equal to the pre-determined value 90 degrees.
Referring to
Next, possess a multiplication of the first local oscillating signal ΦI and the second local oscillating signal ΦQ to obtain a DC value D2 corresponding to the φ2 value. If the DC value D2 is still larger than the reference value Vref, this means that the φ2 value is still smaller than 90 degrees (but is closer to 90 degrees than the φ1 value). The SAR unit 262, according to the comparison value Rc=1, maintains the second effective bit to be 1, and set the subsequent third effective bit to be 1. That is to say, the outputted digital signal Sd is adjusted to be 11100 (=28). So the corresponding analog signal Sa is also adjusted, the signal generator 210 is controlled to increase by Δφ value and become φ3. If the DC value D3 corresponding to the φ3 value is still larger than the reference value Vref, this means that the φ3 value is still smaller than 90 degrees (but is closer to 90 degrees than φ2 value). The SAR unit 262 maintains the third effective bit to be 1, and set the subsequent fourth effective bit to be 1. That is to say, the digital signal Sd is adjusted to be 11110 (=30), the signal generator 210 is controlled to increase by Δφ value and become φ4.
If the DC value D4 corresponding to the φ4 value is smaller than the reference value Vref, this means that the φ4 value is larger than 90 degrees (but is closer to 90 degrees than the φ3 value). So the SAR unit 264 sets the fourth effective bit to be 0, and sets the lease significant bit (LSB) to be 1. That is to say, the digital signal Sd is adjusted to be 11101 (=29), and the signal generator 210, which is controlled to reduce by Δφ value and become φ5, is closer to 90 degrees than the φ4 value. Therefore, according to the above successive approximation algorithm, the DC value Ds, from D1 to D5, gradually equals to the reference value Vref. Likewise, the value of the phase difference Δφ, from φ1 to φ5, also gradually equals to the pre-determined value 90 degrees to achieve of object of calibrating the phase bias of the local oscillating signal of the mixer 200.
Although the phase calibrating method according to the invention is exemplified by the successive approximation algorithm, the invention is not limited thereto. The invention can be applied to any method, which, according to the comparison between the DC value D and the reference value Vref, gradually modulates the phase difference Δφ value to be equal to 90 degrees.
The advantages of the phase calibrating apparatus according to the preferred embodiment of the invention disclosed above lies in directly installing a self-compensation circuit inside the demodulator or the modulator to modulate the phase bias of the local oscillating signal outputted by the local oscillator. The phase calibrating apparatus is switched on and linked for calibrating when the mixer is started, but is switched off on the completion of calibrating. No extra circuit is added to the DSP unit for detecting and controlling purpose, so the phase calibrating circuit is simplified and the operation efficiency of phase calibrating is improved.
While the invention has been described by way of example and in terms of a preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited thereto. On the contrary, it is intended to cover various modifications and similar arrangements and procedures, and the scope of the appended claims therefore should be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and similar arrangements and procedures.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
93105224 | Feb 2004 | TW | national |