Local oscillator frequency multiplication circuit with phase modulation

Abstract

The embodiment of the present disclosure provides a local oscillator frequency multiplication circuit with a phase modulation function; and is applied to the field of radio frequency integrated circuits.The circuit comprises a first phase modulation module, a second phase modulation module and a third phase modulation module connected in sequence; wherein the first phase modulation module comprises a first phase modulation unit, a matching circuit, a first amplifier and a frequency multiplication unit connected in sequence; the second phase modulation module comprises a second amplifier, a second phase modulation unit and a third amplifier connected in sequence; and the third phase modulation module comprises a quadrature unit, a fourth amplifier, a fifth amplifier, a sixth amplifier, a seventh amplifier, a third phase modulation unit, a fourth phase modulation unit, a first frequency mixer and a second frequency mixer.The circuit can calibrate the phase between chips and the orthogonality of the IQ two-way signal, improve the image rejection and sideband rejection performance, the phase calibration structure is simple, the calibration range is large, and the circuit loss is small.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to the field of radio frequency integrated circuits, and more particularly to a local oscillator frequency multiplier circuit with phase modulation function. Background Technology

[0002] Millimeter wave spectrum resources are abundant and have a wide operating bandwidth, making it easy to meet the requirements of target applications in terms of communication capacity and system equipment performance. In accordance with the development trend of millimeter wave system equipment integration and miniaturization, millimeter wave frequency conversion chips have become a research hotspot.

[0003] The phase calibration of the local oscillator frequency multiplier circuit in millimeter-wave frequency conversion chips is crucial to the image rejection and sideband rejection performance of wireless receivers. Traditional phase calibration methods include two approaches: the first uses a phase shifter for phase modulation, which is costly and suffers from insertion loss, limiting the calibration range; the second uses a varactor diode and digital-to-analog converter structure, which occupies a large area, resulting in a larger chip size. Therefore, researching a local oscillator circuit with a large calibration range, a simple calibration structure, and improved image rejection performance is particularly important. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This disclosure provides a local oscillator frequency multiplier circuit with phase modulation function.

[0005] According to a first aspect of this disclosure, a local oscillator frequency multiplier circuit with phase modulation function is provided.

[0006] The circuit includes:

[0007] The first phase modulation module, the second phase modulation module, and the third phase modulation module are connected in sequence; among them,

[0008] The first phase modulation module includes a first phase modulation unit, a matching circuit, a first amplifier, and a frequency multiplier unit connected in sequence;

[0009] The second phase modulation module includes a second amplifier, a second phase modulation unit, and a third amplifier connected in sequence.

[0010] The third phase modulation module includes a quadrature unit, a fourth amplifier, a fifth amplifier, a sixth amplifier, a seventh amplifier, a third phase modulation unit, a fourth phase modulation unit, a first mixer, and a second mixer.

[0011] In some possible implementations of the first aspect, the first phase modulation unit is used to coarsely adjust the phase of the signal in the matching circuit to change the phase characteristics of the matching circuit.

[0012] The input signal f0 is fed into the input terminal of the matching circuit, and the output terminal is connected to the input terminal of the frequency multiplier unit through the first amplifier;

[0013] The output of the frequency multiplier unit is connected to the input of the second amplifier.

[0014] In some possible implementations of the first aspect, the matching circuit includes a first capacitor, a second capacitor, and a transformer; wherein,

[0015] The transformer includes a first auxiliary winding and a second auxiliary winding;

[0016] One end of the first secondary winding is connected to one end of the first capacitor and the input terminal of the matching circuit, and the other end is connected to the other end of the first capacitor and grounded.

[0017] One end of the second secondary winding is connected to one end of the second capacitor, and the other end is connected to the other end of the second capacitor.

[0018] In some possible implementations of the first aspect, the output of the matching circuit is connected to the input of the frequency multiplier unit via a first amplifier, including...

[0019] The two ends of the second capacitor are connected to the input terminal of the first amplifier;

[0020] The output of the first amplifier is connected to the input of the frequency multiplier unit.

[0021] In some possible implementations of the first aspect, the first secondary winding includes a first inductor and a second inductor;

[0022] The second winding includes a third inductor and a fourth inductor;

[0023] One end of the first secondary winding is connected to one end of the first capacitor and the input terminal of the matching circuit, and the other end is connected to the other end of the first capacitor and grounded.

[0024] One end of the first inductor is connected to one end of the first capacitor and the input terminal of the matching circuit, and the other end is connected to the other end of the first capacitor and grounded through the second inductor.

[0025] One end of the second winding is connected to one end of the second capacitor, and the other end is connected to the other end of the second capacitor, including...

[0026] One end of the third inductor is connected to one end of the second capacitor, and the other end is connected to one end of the fourth inductor and grounded;

[0027] The other end of the fourth inductor is connected to the other end of the second capacitor.

[0028] Among some possible implementations of the first aspect, the third phase modulation module also includes:

[0029] The input of the quadrature unit is connected to the output of the third amplifier;

[0030] The output of the quadrature unit is connected to the input of the fourth amplifier and the input of the fifth amplifier;

[0031] The output of the fourth amplifier is connected to the input of the sixth amplifier through the third phase modulation unit;

[0032] The output of the fifth amplifier is connected to the input of the seventh amplifier through the fourth phase modulation unit;

[0033] The output of the sixth amplifier is connected to the first mixer;

[0034] The output of the seventh amplifier is connected to the second mixer.

[0035] In some possible implementations of the first aspect, the first phase modulation unit includes a switched capacitor array;

[0036] The second phase modulation unit includes a switched capacitor array and a DiCAD structure;

[0037] The structures of the third and fourth phase modulation units are the same as those of the second phase modulation unit.

[0038] In some possible implementations of the first aspect, a switched capacitor array includes multiple sets of capacitor switches connected in parallel; wherein each set of capacitor switches includes an upper-level capacitor, a control switch, and a lower-level capacitor connected in sequence.

[0039] The DiCAD structure includes a first top layer metal, a second top layer metal, multiple sets of first parasitic capacitors disposed on the first top layer metal, and multiple sets of second parasitic capacitors disposed on the second top layer metal; the multiple sets of first parasitic capacitors and the multiple sets of second parasitic capacitors are disposed correspondingly and connected by control switches respectively.

[0040] In some possible implementations of the first aspect, the switched capacitor array is used to change the state of the control switches in the switched capacitor array, thereby changing the capacitance value of the switched capacitor array, and thus coarsely adjusting the phase of the signal in the circuit.

[0041] The DiCAD structure is used to change the state of the control switch, thereby changing the capacitance value of the parasitic capacitor and finely adjusting the phase of the signal in the circuit.

[0042] According to a second aspect of this disclosure, a method for operating a local oscillator frequency multiplier circuit with phase modulation function is provided. The method includes:

[0043] The first phase modulation module performs coarse phase modulation on the input signal; the second phase modulation module performs fine phase modulation on the output signal of the first phase modulation module; the third phase modulation module converts the output signal of the second phase modulation module into a quadrature IQ signal, and calibrates it through the third and fourth phase modulation units. The calibrated signal is amplified by an amplifier to provide the local oscillator signal for the mixer.

[0044] The frequency multiplier unit in the first phase modulation module transforms the signal frequency into an integer multiple of the output signal frequency of the first amplifier; the second amplifier in the second phase modulation module amplifies the signal output by the frequency multiplier unit, and the third amplifier amplifies the signal output by the second phase modulation unit; the sixth amplifier in the third phase modulation module amplifies one of the IQ signals calibrated by the third phase modulation unit and transmits it to the first mixer; the seventh amplifier amplifies the other signal in the IQ signals calibrated by the fourth phase modulation unit and transmits it to the second mixer.

[0045] In this disclosure, the local oscillator frequency multiplier circuit with phase modulation function includes a first phase modulation module, a second phase modulation module, and a third phase modulation module connected in sequence. The first phase modulation module performs coarse phase modulation on the input signal, and the second phase modulation module performs fine phase modulation on the output signal of the first phase modulation module. The first and second phase modulation modules can calibrate the phase between chips, reduce circuit losses, and increase the calibration range. The third phase modulation module converts the signal output by the second phase modulation module into a quadrature IQ signal, and calibrates it through a third and a fourth phase modulation unit. The calibrated signal is amplified by an amplifier to provide a local oscillator signal for the mixer. The third phase modulation module can calibrate the quadrature of the IQ signals and improve image rejection and sideband rejection performance. The phase calibration structure of this local oscillator frequency multiplier circuit is relatively simple, reducing the complexity of phase calibration.

[0046] It should be understood that the description in the Summary of the Invention is not intended to limit the key or essential features of the embodiments of this disclosure, nor is it intended to restrict the scope of this disclosure. Other features of this disclosure will become readily apparent from the following description. Attached Figure Description

[0047] The above and other features, advantages, and aspects of the embodiments of this disclosure will become more apparent from the accompanying drawings and the following detailed description. The drawings are provided for a better understanding of the invention and are not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure. In the drawings, the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements, wherein:

[0048] Figure 1 This diagram illustrates the structure of a local oscillator frequency multiplier circuit with phase modulation function according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0049] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a switched capacitor array provided in an embodiment of this disclosure is shown;

[0050] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a DiCAD structure provided in an embodiment of this disclosure is shown;

[0051] Figure 4 A simplified schematic diagram of a resonant cavity structure provided in an embodiment of this disclosure is shown;

[0052] Figure 5 A schematic diagram illustrating the operation of a local oscillator frequency multiplier circuit with phase modulation function provided in an embodiment of this disclosure is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0053] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of this disclosure clearer, the technical solutions of the embodiments of this disclosure will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this disclosure, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this disclosure, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this disclosure.

[0054] Furthermore, the term "and / or" in this article is merely a description of the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A existing alone, A and B existing simultaneously, or B existing alone. Additionally, the character " / " in this article generally indicates that the preceding and following related objects have an "or" relationship.

[0055] To address the problems in the background art, this disclosure provides a local oscillator frequency multiplier circuit with phase modulation function. The local oscillator frequency multiplier circuit of this disclosure includes a first phase modulation module, a second phase modulation module, and a third phase modulation module connected in sequence. The first phase modulation module coarsely modulates the phase of the input signal, and the second phase modulation module finely modulates the phase of the output signal of the first phase modulation module. The first and second phase modulation modules can calibrate the phase between chips, reduce circuit losses, and increase the calibration range. The third phase modulation module converts the signal output by the second phase modulation module into a quadrature IQ signal, and calibrates it through a third and fourth phase modulation unit. The calibrated signal is amplified by an amplifier to provide a local oscillator signal for the mixer. The third phase modulation module can calibrate the orthogonality of the IQ signals and improve image rejection and sideband rejection performance. The phase calibration structure of this circuit is relatively simple, reducing the complexity of phase calibration.

[0056] The local oscillator frequency multiplier circuit with phase modulation function provided in this disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0057] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a local oscillator frequency multiplier circuit with phase modulation function provided in an embodiment of this disclosure is shown.

[0058] like Figure 1 As shown, the structure of the local oscillator frequency multiplier circuit provided in this embodiment includes:

[0059] The first phase modulation module, the second phase modulation module, and the third phase modulation module are connected in sequence; among them,

[0060] The first phase modulation module includes a first phase modulation unit, a matching circuit, a first amplifier, and a frequency multiplier unit connected in sequence;

[0061] The second phase modulation module includes a second amplifier, a second phase modulation unit, and a third amplifier connected in sequence.

[0062] The third phase modulation module includes a quadrature unit, a fourth amplifier, a fifth amplifier, a sixth amplifier, a seventh amplifier, a third phase modulation unit, a fourth phase modulation unit, a first mixer, and a second mixer.

[0063] In some embodiments, the first phase modulation unit is used to coarsely adjust the phase of the signal in the matching circuit to change the phase characteristics of the matching circuit.

[0064] The input signal f0 is fed into the input terminal of the matching circuit, and the output terminal is connected to the input terminal of the frequency multiplier unit through the first amplifier;

[0065] The output of the frequency multiplier unit is connected to the input of the second amplifier.

[0066] In some embodiments, the input matching circuit includes a first phase modulation unit and a matching circuit;

[0067] The input matching circuit is used to match the input impedance of the circuit with the input impedance of the first amplifier;

[0068] The first phase modulation unit, as part of the input matching circuit, is compatible with various package structures.

[0069] In some embodiments, the signal through the frequency multiplier unit has a larger phase modulation range, that is, the phase calibration range between chips is increased.

[0070] In some embodiments, the matching circuit includes a first capacitor, a second capacitor, and a transformer; wherein,

[0071] The transformer includes a first auxiliary winding and a second auxiliary winding;

[0072] One end of the first secondary winding is connected to one end of the first capacitor and the input terminal of the matching circuit, and the other end is connected to the other end of the first capacitor and grounded.

[0073] One end of the second secondary winding is connected to one end of the second capacitor, and the other end is connected to the other end of the second capacitor.

[0074] In some embodiments, the output of the matching circuit is connected to the input of the frequency multiplier unit via a first amplifier, including...

[0075] The two ends of the second capacitor are connected to the input terminal of the first amplifier;

[0076] The output of the first amplifier is connected to the input of the frequency multiplier unit.

[0077] In some embodiments, the first secondary winding includes a first inductor and a second inductor;

[0078] The second winding includes a third inductor and a fourth inductor;

[0079] One end of the first secondary winding is connected to one end of the first capacitor and the input terminal of the matching circuit, and the other end is connected to the other end of the first capacitor and grounded.

[0080] One end of the first inductor is connected to one end of the first capacitor and the input terminal of the matching circuit, and the other end is connected to the other end of the first capacitor and grounded through the second inductor.

[0081] One end of the second winding is connected to one end of the second capacitor, and the other end is connected to the other end of the second capacitor, including...

[0082] One end of the third inductor is connected to one end of the second capacitor, and the other end is connected to one end of the fourth inductor and grounded;

[0083] The other end of the fourth inductor is connected to the other end of the second capacitor.

[0084] In some embodiments, the second phase modulation unit fine-tunes the phase of the signal amplified by the second amplifier;

[0085] The second phase-tuning unit also serves as a matching structure between the second amplifier and the third amplifier.

[0086] In some embodiments, the first phase modulation unit and the second phase modulation unit are also used to calibrate the phase between chips, thereby reducing circuit losses; specifically,

[0087] There may be some differences in the phase between multiple identical chips. The phase of one chip is used as a reference to calibrate other chips with different phases.

[0088] The output signal of a chip with a different phase is input into this circuit and output by a first mixer or a second mixer. The phase of the output signal is consistent with the phase of the reference chip. The calibration method for other chips with different phases is the same and will not be repeated here. Furthermore,

[0089] For example, chips D, E, and F are three identical chips, but there are some differences in their phases. Using the phase of chip D as a reference, the phases of E and F are calibrated. The output signal of chip E is input into the local oscillator frequency multiplier circuit. After adjustment by the first phase modulation unit and the second phase modulation unit, the calibrated signal is output by the first mixer or the second mixer. The phase of the calibrated signal is consistent with the phase of the reference chip.

[0090] The output signal of chip F is input into the local oscillator frequency multiplier circuit. After adjustment by the first phase modulation unit and the second phase modulation unit, the calibrated signal is output by the first mixer or the second mixer. The phase of the calibrated signal is consistent with the phase of the reference chip.

[0091] After calibration by the circuit disclosed herein, the phases of chips D, E, and F are kept consistent.

[0092] In some embodiments, the third phase modulation module further includes:

[0093] The input of the quadrature unit is connected to the output of the third amplifier;

[0094] The output of the quadrature unit is connected to the input of the fourth amplifier and the input of the fifth amplifier;

[0095] The output of the fourth amplifier is connected to the input of the sixth amplifier through the third phase modulation unit;

[0096] The output of the fifth amplifier is connected to the input of the seventh amplifier through the fourth phase modulation unit;

[0097] The output of the sixth amplifier is connected to the first mixer;

[0098] The output of the seventh amplifier is connected to the second mixer.

[0099] In some embodiments, the first phase modulation unit includes a switched capacitor array;

[0100] The second phase modulation unit includes a switched capacitor array and a DiCAD structure;

[0101] The structures of the third and fourth phase modulation units are the same as those of the second phase modulation unit.

[0102] In some embodiments, the structure of the switched capacitor array is as follows: Figure 2 As shown, the switched capacitor array includes multiple sets of capacitor switches connected in parallel; each set of capacitor switches includes an upstream capacitor, a control switch, and a downstream capacitor connected in sequence; specifically, with... Figure 2 Taking the five sets of capacitor switches in parallel as an example, the first set of capacitor switches includes an upper-stage capacitor C3, a first control switch K1, and a lower-stage capacitor C4; wherein,

[0103] One end of the upper capacitor C3 is connected to one end of the lower capacitor C4 through the first control switch K1; the other end of the upper capacitor C3 is connected to the other end of the upper capacitor in the other four sets of capacitor switches and node A; the other end of the lower capacitor C4 is connected to the other end of the lower capacitor in the other four sets of capacitor switches and node B.

[0104] The other four sets of capacitor switches will not be described in detail here; furthermore,

[0105] The resistance values ​​of the upper capacitor C3 and the lower capacitor C4 are the same;

[0106] The capacitance values ​​of the upstream capacitors in the five sets of capacitor switches, from left to right, are C3, 2C3, 4C3, 8C3, and 16C3, respectively.

[0107] The capacitance values ​​of the lower-level capacitors in the five sets of capacitor switches, from left to right, are C4, 2C4, 4C4, 8C4, and 16C4, respectively.

[0108] In some embodiments, node A of the switched capacitor array in the first phase modulation unit is connected to the input terminal of the matching circuit; node B is grounded.

[0109] In some embodiments, the switched capacitor array is used to change the state of the control switches in the switched capacitor array, thereby changing the capacitance value of the switched capacitor array, and thus coarsely adjusting the phase of the signal in the circuit.

[0110] In some embodiments, the switched capacitor array is used for circuit tuning at operating frequencies below 40 GHz. Figure 2 The switched capacitor array shown is a 5-bit switched capacitor array. Its capacitance value varies between 0, (1 / 2)C3, (3 / 2)C3, (5 / 2)C3...(31 / 2)C3 depending on the on / off state of the control switch. C3 can take a large capacitance value, so the adjustable range is large and it can be used to coarsely adjust the phase of the signal in the circuit. The accuracy of the coarse adjustment depends on the size of C3, and the value of C3 ranges from a few to several hundred law.

[0111] In some embodiments, the DiCAD structure is as follows: Figure 3 As shown, the DiCAD structure includes a first top layer metal, a second top layer metal, multiple sets of first parasitic capacitors disposed on the first top layer metal, and multiple sets of second parasitic capacitors disposed on the second top layer metal; the multiple sets of first parasitic capacitors and the multiple sets of second parasitic capacitors are correspondingly arranged and connected by control switches respectively; specifically, taking... Figure 3 Taking the DiCAD structure shown as an example, which has five sets of first parasitic capacitances and five sets of second parasitic capacitances,

[0112] The first top layer metal and the second top layer metal are placed in parallel; the overlapping portion between the first top layer metal and the first parasitic metal placed below the first top layer metal forms the first group of first parasitic capacitances of the first top layer metal; the overlapping portion between the second top layer metal and the second parasitic metal placed below the second top layer metal forms the first group of second parasitic capacitances of the second top layer metal; the first group of first parasitic capacitances and the first group of second parasitic capacitances are connected through the second control switch K2.

[0113] The other four groups of first and second parasitic capacitances will not be described in detail here.

[0114] In some embodiments, the first top layer metal and the second top layer metal each comprise one layer of metal, or each comprise two layers of metal;

[0115] The first parasitic metal placed below the first top layer metal and the second parasitic metal placed below the second top layer metal each comprise one layer of metal, or each comprise three layers of metal.

[0116] In some embodiments, the switched capacitor array in the second phase modulation unit is connected in parallel with the DiCAD structure, and the switched capacitor array in the third phase modulation unit is connected in parallel with the DiCAD structure, that is, node A in the switched capacitor array is connected to the first top layer metal in the DiCAD structure, and node B is connected to the second top layer metal.

[0117] In the second phase modulation unit, node A of the switched capacitor array is also connected to the output of the second amplifier, and node B is also connected to the input of the third amplifier.

[0118] In the third phase modulation unit, node A of the switched capacitor array is also connected to the output of the fourth amplifier and the input of the sixth amplifier, and node B is also connected to the output of the fifth amplifier and the input of the seventh amplifier.

[0119] In some embodiments, the DiCAD structure is used to change the state of a control switch to change the capacitance value of a parasitic capacitor, thereby fine-tuning the phase of the signal in the circuit.

[0120] In some embodiments, the DiCAD structure is used for circuit tuning at operating frequencies above 40GHz. By controlling the on / off state of the control switch between parasitic metals M and N, the capacitance value of the parasitic capacitor changes. Since this parasitic capacitance value is small, the adjustable range is small, but the precision is high, allowing for fine-tuning of the phase of signals in the circuit. The precision of the fine-tuning depends on the size of the parasitic capacitance in the DiCAD structure, which ranges from 1 to 10 farads. In some embodiments, the third phase-tuning unit fine-tunes the phase of the output signals of the fourth and fifth amplifiers.

[0121] The third phase modulation unit is used to calibrate the orthogonality of the I and Q signals, thereby improving image rejection and sideband rejection performance.

[0122] The above is an introduction to the embodiments of the device. The following specific embodiments using the device will further illustrate the solution described in this disclosure.

[0123] The first to third phase modulation modules of this disclosure can all be regarded as resonant cavity models. By changing the normalized frequency of the resonant cavity, the phase of the signal in the resonant cavity is adjusted; specifically,

[0124] by Figure 4The simplified resonant cavity structure shown is used as an example to further illustrate the phase modulation principle of the first phase modulation unit to the third phase modulation unit. The resonant cavity includes a resistor R, a capacitor C, and an inductor L connected in parallel in sequence.

[0125] The input current I is fed into one end of the resistor R, and after passing through the resistor R, capacitor C, and inductor L respectively, it is output from both ends of the inductor L, and the output signal is Vout.

[0126] The formula for calculating the output impedance Z of the resonant cavity is as follows:

[0127]

[0128] Where ω is the resonant frequency;

[0129] baseband Where Q is the quality factor and the output impedance is... That is, Z is The function, for Normalization is performed to obtain the relationship between the normalized frequency and the output impedance. The amplitude and phase of the output impedance change with the normalized frequency under a fixed Q value. Therefore, the normalized frequency of the resonant cavity can be changed by adjusting the capacitance value of the switched capacitor array or the DiCAD structure, thereby changing the phase of the signal in the resonant cavity.

[0130] Figure 5 A schematic diagram illustrating the operation of a local oscillator frequency multiplier circuit with phase modulation function provided in an embodiment of this disclosure is shown.

[0131] like Figure 5 As shown, the operating method of the local oscillator frequency multiplier circuit provided in this embodiment includes:

[0132] The first phase modulation module coarsely adjusts the phase of the input signal; the second phase modulation module finely adjusts the phase of the output signal from the first phase modulation module; the third phase modulation module converts the signal output from the second phase modulation module into a quadrature IQ signal, and calibrates it through the third and fourth phase modulation units. The calibrated signal is then amplified to provide the local oscillator signal for the mixer; specifically,

[0133] S110, the first phase modulation module performs coarse adjustment on the phase of the input signal.

[0134] In some embodiments, the first phase modulation unit can calibrate the phase between chips and can also match the input impedance of the circuit as part of input matching.

[0135] The input signal is fed into the input terminal of the matching circuit, and the first phase modulation unit coarsely adjusts the phase of the signal in the matching circuit to change the phase characteristics of the matching circuit.

[0136] The signal output from the matching circuit is amplified by the first amplifier and then sent to the input terminal of the frequency multiplier unit;

[0137] The frequency multiplier unit changes the signal frequency to an integer multiple of the output signal frequency of the first amplifier. After passing through the frequency multiplier unit, the phase calibration range between chips increases.

[0138] S120, the second phase modulation module fine-tunes the phase of the output signal of the first phase modulation module.

[0139] In some embodiments, the second amplifier amplifies the signal output by the frequency multiplier unit, fine-tunes it through the second phase modulation unit, and then amplifies the signal output by the second phase modulation unit through the third amplifier.

[0140] In some embodiments, the second phase modulation unit can calibrate the phase between chips and can also serve as a matching structure to match the output impedance of the second amplifier and the input impedance of the third amplifier.

[0141] S130, the third phase modulation module converts the signal output by the second phase modulation module into a quadrature IQ signal, and calibrates it through the third and fourth phase modulation units. The calibrated signal is amplified by an amplifier to provide a local oscillator signal for the mixer.

[0142] In some embodiments, the quadrature unit converts the signal output by the second phase modulation module into a quadrature IQ signal;

[0143] For example, the I-channel signal is amplified for the first time by the fourth amplifier, the amplified signal is calibrated by the third phase modulation unit, the calibrated signal is amplified for the second time by the sixth amplifier, and the amplified signal is transmitted to the first mixer to provide the local oscillator signal for the first mixer;

[0144] The Q-channel signal is amplified for the first time by the fifth amplifier. The amplified signal is then calibrated by the fourth phase modulation unit. The calibrated signal is amplified for the second time by the seventh amplifier. The amplified signal is then transmitted to the second mixer to provide the local oscillator signal for the second mixer.

[0145] The third phase modulation unit calibrates the I-channel signal after the first amplification, and the fourth phase modulation unit calibrates the Q-channel signal after the first amplification, thereby improving the orthogonality of the I and Q-channel signals.

[0146] In some embodiments, the mixer is used to perform up-conversion or down-conversion processing, specifically,

[0147] When used for upconversion processing, the first mixer mixes the second amplified I-channel signal with the intermediate frequency signal in the external circuit, and the second mixer mixes the second amplified Q-channel signal with the intermediate frequency signal in the external circuit, converting the intermediate frequency signal into a radio frequency signal.

[0148] When used for downconversion processing, the first mixer mixes the I-channel signal after the second amplification with the radio frequency signal in the external circuit, and the second mixer mixes the Q-channel signal after the second amplification with the radio frequency signal in the external circuit, converting the radio frequency signal into an intermediate frequency signal.

[0149] Using the IQ signal as the local oscillator signal of the mixer, and then performing frequency conversion processing on the intermediate frequency signal or radio frequency signal through the mixer, can improve image rejection and sideband rejection performance.

[0150] According to the embodiments of this disclosure, the following technical effects are achieved:

[0151] The circuit disclosed herein includes a first phase modulation module, a second phase modulation module, and a third phase modulation module connected in sequence. The first phase modulation module performs coarse phase modulation on the input signal, and the second phase modulation module performs fine phase modulation on the output signal of the first phase modulation module. The first and second phase modulation modules can calibrate the phase between chips, reduce circuit losses, and increase the calibration range. The third phase modulation module converts the signal output by the second phase modulation module into a quadrature IQ signal, and calibrates it through a third and a fourth phase modulation unit. The calibrated signal is amplified by an amplifier to provide a local oscillator signal for the mixer. The third phase modulation module can calibrate the quadrature of the IQ signals and improve image rejection and sideband rejection performance. The phase calibration structure of this circuit is relatively simple, reducing the complexity of phase calibration.

[0152] It should be noted that, for the sake of simplicity, the foregoing method embodiments are all described as a series of actions. However, those skilled in the art should understand that this disclosure is not limited to the described order of actions, because according to this disclosure, some steps can be performed in other orders or simultaneously. Furthermore, those skilled in the art should also understand that the embodiments described in the specification are all optional embodiments, and the actions and modules involved are not necessarily essential to this disclosure.

[0153] It should be understood that the various forms of processes shown above can be used to rearrange, add, or delete steps. For example, the steps described in this disclosure can be executed in parallel, sequentially, or in different orders, as long as the desired result of the technical solution disclosed in this disclosure can be achieved, and this is not limited herein.

[0154] The specific embodiments described above do not constitute a limitation on the scope of protection of this disclosure. Those skilled in the art should understand that various modifications, combinations, sub-combinations, and substitutions can be made according to design requirements and other factors. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, and improvements made within the spirit and principles of this disclosure should be included within the scope of protection of this disclosure.

Claims

1. A local oscillator frequency multiplier circuit with phase modulation function, characterized in that, include: The first phase modulation module, the second phase modulation module, and the third phase modulation module are connected in sequence; among them, The first phase modulation module includes a first phase modulation unit, a matching circuit, a first amplifier, and a frequency multiplier unit connected in sequence; The second phase modulation module includes a second amplifier, a second phase modulation unit, and a third amplifier connected in sequence; The third phase modulation module includes a quadrature unit, a fourth amplifier, a fifth amplifier, a sixth amplifier, a seventh amplifier, a third phase modulation unit, a fourth phase modulation unit, a first mixer, and a second mixer; The input terminal of the quadrature unit is connected to the output terminal of the third amplifier; The output of the quadrature unit is connected to the input of the fourth amplifier and the input of the fifth amplifier. The output of the fourth amplifier is connected to the input of the sixth amplifier through the third phase modulation unit; The output of the fifth amplifier is connected to the input of the seventh amplifier through the fourth phase modulation unit; The output of the sixth amplifier is connected to the first mixer; The output of the seventh amplifier is connected to the second mixer; The first phase modulation unit includes a switched capacitor array; The second phase modulation unit includes a switched capacitor array and a DiCAD structure; The structures of the third phase modulation unit and the fourth phase modulation unit are the same as those of the second phase modulation unit. The switched capacitor array includes multiple sets of capacitor switches connected in parallel; wherein each set of capacitor switches includes an upper-level capacitor, a control switch, and a lower-level capacitor connected in sequence. The DiCAD structure includes a first top layer metal, a second top layer metal, multiple sets of first parasitic capacitors disposed on the first top layer metal, and multiple sets of second parasitic capacitors disposed on the second top layer metal; the multiple sets of first parasitic capacitors and the multiple sets of second parasitic capacitors are disposed correspondingly and are connected by control switches respectively.

2. The local oscillator frequency multiplier circuit with phase modulation function according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first phase modulation unit is used to coarsely adjust the phase of the signal in the matching circuit to change the phase characteristics of the matching circuit. The input terminal of the matching circuit is fed with an input signal f0, and the output terminal is connected to the input terminal of the frequency multiplier unit through the first amplifier. The output of the frequency multiplier unit is connected to the input of the second amplifier.

3. The local oscillator frequency multiplier circuit with phase modulation function according to claim 2, characterized in that, The matching circuit includes: The components include a first capacitor, a second capacitor, and a transformer; among which... The transformer includes a first auxiliary winding and a second auxiliary winding; One end of the first secondary winding is connected to one end of the first capacitor and the input terminal of the matching circuit, and the other end is connected to the other end of the first capacitor and grounded. One end of the second secondary winding is connected to one end of the second capacitor, and the other end is connected to the other end of the second capacitor.

4. The local oscillator frequency multiplier circuit with phase modulation function according to claim 3, characterized in that, The output of the matching circuit is connected to the input of the frequency multiplier unit through the first amplifier, including: The two ends of the second capacitor are connected to the input terminal of the first amplifier; The output of the first amplifier is connected to the input of the frequency multiplier unit.

5. The local oscillator frequency multiplier circuit with phase modulation function according to claim 3, characterized in that, The first secondary winding includes a first inductor and a second inductor; The second secondary winding includes a third inductor and a fourth inductor; One end of the first auxiliary winding is connected to one end of the first capacitor and the input terminal of the matching circuit, and the other end is connected to the other end of the first capacitor and grounded, including: One end of the first inductor is connected to one end of the first capacitor and the input terminal of the matching circuit, and the other end is connected to the other end of the first capacitor and grounded through the second inductor; One end of the second secondary winding is connected to one end of the second capacitor, and the other end is connected to the other end of the second capacitor, including: One end of the third inductor is connected to one end of the second capacitor, and the other end is connected to one end of the fourth inductor and grounded; The other end of the fourth inductor is connected to the other end of the second capacitor.

6. The local oscillator frequency multiplier circuit with phase modulation function according to claim 1, characterized in that, The switched capacitor array is used to change the state of the control switches in the switched capacitor array, thereby changing the capacitance value of the switched capacitor array, and thus coarsely adjusting the phase of the signal in the circuit. The DiCAD structure is used to change the state of the control switch, thereby changing the capacitance value of the parasitic capacitor and finely adjusting the phase of the signal in the circuit.

7. A method for operating a local oscillator frequency multiplier circuit with phase modulation function as described in any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that, The working method includes: The first phase modulation module performs coarse phase modulation on the input signal; the second phase modulation module performs fine phase modulation on the output signal of the first phase modulation module; the third phase modulation module converts the output signal of the second phase modulation module into a quadrature IQ signal, and calibrates it through the third and fourth phase modulation units. The calibrated signal is amplified by an amplifier to provide the local oscillator signal for the mixer. The frequency multiplier unit in the first phase modulation module transforms the signal frequency into an integer multiple of the output signal frequency of the first amplifier; the second amplifier in the second phase modulation module amplifies the signal output by the frequency multiplier unit, and the third amplifier amplifies the signal output by the second phase modulation unit; the sixth amplifier in the third phase modulation module amplifies one of the IQ signals calibrated by the third phase modulation unit and transmits it to the first mixer; the seventh amplifier amplifies the other signal in the IQ signals calibrated by the fourth phase modulation unit and transmits it to the second mixer.

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