Abstract:
A low voltage cascode frequency conversion mixer circuit is provided. In place of a conventional current source, an LC tank circuit is used. This makes the circuit function as a mixer only over a narrow band of frequencies centred at the resonance frequency of the LC tank circuit. The circuit mixes an input signal with a local oscillator signal. Advantageously, a lower supply voltage may be used because a smaller DC drop exists across the tank circuit than does across conventional current sources. The circuit may also be used as an amplifier by connecting a DC bias voltage in place of the local oscillator.
Abstract:
An antenna apparatus for backscattering an incoming radio frequency (RF) signal includes an antenna for backscattering the incoming RF signal in accordance with a reflection coefficient characteristic of the antenna. A variable impedance circuit includes an output electrically connected to the antenna. A band-pass delta sigma modulator is coupled to the variable impedance circuit and digitally controls the output of the variable impedance circuit, such that the reflection coefficient of the antenna is adjusted based on the digitally controlled output of the variable impedance circuit. In an RFID network, the apparatus and method reduces the effect of DC offset in the reader device and the effects of the reader device's phase noise, while allowing for complex modulations.
Abstract:
A radio transceiver including a transmitter and a receiver. A filter coupled to an output of the transmitter, the filter has one or more inductors and one or more capacitors, where the filter is tuned by varying one or more capacitance values of the one or more capacitors in the filter to tune the filter. The one or more capacitors are Barium Strontium Titanate (BST) ceramic integrated capacitors that are each tuned by application of a bias voltage thereto. A filter tuner circuit is configured to apply the bias voltage to the one or more capacitors, where the bias voltage is initially established as a stored initial value, and where the bias voltage is refined by a proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controller configured to optimize a power within the transceiver. This abstract is not to be considered limiting since various implementations may incorporate more, fewer or different elements.
Abstract:
An inductive coupling apparatus for modifying an incoming radio frequency (RF) signal includes an inductive element. A variable impedance circuit includes an output electrically coupled to the inductive element. A band-pass delta sigma modulator is coupled to the variable impedance circuit and digitally controls the output of the variable impedance circuit. The incoming RF signal is modified as the coupled impedance of the inductive element is adjusted in accordance with the output of the variable impedance circuit.
Abstract:
An antenna apparatus for backscattering an incoming radio frequency (RF) signal includes an antenna for backscattering the incoming RF signal in accordance with a reflection coefficient characteristic of the antenna. A variable impedance circuit includes an output electrically connected to the antenna. A low pass delta sigma modulator is coupled to the variable impedance circuit and digitally controls the output of the variable impedance circuit, such that the reflection coefficient of the antenna is adjusted based on the output of the variable impedance circuit.
Abstract:
A system is provided to facilitate communication with a client via both a first network and a second network. The system comprises a plurality of bandwidth aggregation servers, each bandwidth aggregation server configured to aggregate data packets received from the client via both the first and second networks for transmission to a destination server; and transmit data packets to the client via both the first and second networks in accordance with a scheduling algorithm, the data packets being received from a source server.
Abstract:
The invention is directed at a hybrid modulation apparatus which combines a polar modulation circuit and a linear modulation circuit. The hybrid apparatus allows a communications device to function as a polar or a linear modulation circuit with less components as the output of the linear modulation circuit is an input of the polar modulation circuit.
Abstract:
The invention is directed at a hybrid modulation apparatus which combines a polar modulation circuit and a linear modulation circuit. The hybrid apparatus allows a communications device to function as a polar or a linear modulation circuit with less components as the output of the linear modulation circuit is an input of the polar modulation circuit.
Abstract:
A method and system for dynamically shifting spurious tones away from the desired frequency in a virtual local oscillator receiver, such that any undesired signal residing at such spurious tones are effectively delineated from the desired signal and removed from the RF input signal. The system detects the presence of potential undesired blocker signals in the RF input signal, and initiates an iterative power comparison and mixer signal adjustment loop. As the virtual local oscillator uses two mixer signals, the frequency of one of the mixer signals is adjusted during the loop until the power of the down-converted signal is minimized to a predetermined level. Minimized power in the down-converted signal is indicative of the absence of the blocker signal, since the presence of a relatively high power signal is indicative of a blocker signal overlapping with a desired signal.
Abstract:
The present invention relates generally to communications, and more specifically to a method and apparatus for generating local oscillator signals used for up- and down-conversion of RF (radio frequency) signals. A major problem in the design of modulators and demodulators, if the leakage of local oscillator (LO) signals into the received signal path. The invention presents a number of highly integratable circuits which resolve the LO leakage problem, using regenerative divider circuits acting on oscillator signals which are running at a multiple or fraction of the frequency of the desired LO signal, to generate in-phase (I) and quadrature (Q) mixing signals. Embodiments of these circuits also use harmonic subtraction and polyphase mixers, as well as virtual local oscillator TM (VLO) mixing signals. VLO mixing signals are signal pairs which emulate local oscillator signals by means of complementary mono-tonal and multi-tonal mixing signals.