System and method for signal mixing based on high order harmonics
US8212602B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Sep 1, 2010 |
| Grant date | Jul 3, 2012 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jan 19, 2031 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH03K23/50
- WIPO fieldBasic communication processes
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A system and method for signal mixing using high-order harmonics of a local oscillation (LO) signal. In a radio frequency (RF) system, the input RF signal is converted to a lower frequency signal such as an intermediate frequency (IF) signal or a baseband signal for further processing. A voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) is often used to generate a VCO signal which is then divided down to provide the needed LO signals for down conversion. The present invention discloses a system and method for generating a composite harmonic signal based on a linear combination of divided down LO signals with specific phase shifts. Consequently a VCO signal with lower frequency can be used to conserve power. The composite harmonic signal is mixed with the input RF signal to generate a series of mixed signal including one associated with a high-order harmonic of the divided down LO signal. Systems to implement the high order harmonic mixing is also disclosed which comprises a plurality of mixer sections with configurable weighting factors. A combination circuit is used to combine the weighted mixed signals which contains a term corresponding the mixing of the input RF signal with a high order LO h…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.