A calibration link, a signal receiving link, an electromagnetic wave device and an integrated circuit

Abstract

A calibration link, a signal receiving link, an electromagnetic wave device, and an integrated circuit. The calibration link is used to calibrate the main receiving path of the echo signal. The main receiving path includes a radio frequency unit and an intermediate frequency unit that are sequentially connected to the receiving antenna. Among them, the calibration link is integrated in the integrated circuit including the main receiving path. Among them, the calibration link includes at least one of a radio frequency auxiliary unit and an intermediate frequency auxiliary unit. Among them: The radio frequency auxiliary unit can be configured to calibrate the radio frequency auxiliary unit by transmitting a radio frequency calibration signal. The radio frequency unit is configured to compensate the echo signal received by the receiving antenna based on the calibration information obtained by the radio frequency auxiliary unit and then perform radio frequency signal processing. The intermediate frequency auxiliary unit can be configured to calibrate the intermediate frequency unit by transmitting an intermediate frequency calibration signal. The intermediate frequency unit is configured to compensate the intermediate frequency signal output by the radio frequency unit based on the calibration information obtained by the intermediate frequency auxiliary unit and then perform intermediate frequency signal processing.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to, but is not limited to, the technical field of electromagnetic wave devices, and particularly relates to a calibration link, a signal receiving link, an electromagnetic wave device, and an integrated circuit. Background Art

[0002] In a Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave (FMCW) radar, the distance of a target can be calculated by using the frequency difference between the transmitted signal and the echo signal. The farther the target is, the greater the frequency of the corresponding intermediate frequency signal; and the closer the target is, the smaller the frequency of the corresponding intermediate frequency signal. After receiving multiple consecutive pulse signals, by performing Fourier transform in the fast time and slow time dimensions, the distance information and radial velocity information of the target can be obtained. In addition, the Direction Of Arrival (DOA) of the echo signal reflected by the target can be measured through multi-antenna technology.

[0003] In order to improve the parameter estimation performance (such as distance, radial velocity, and DoA) of the FMCW radar system, it is necessary to calibrate and compensate the receiving link. For the calibration of the receiving link, a certain compensation can be performed by measuring the performance of the radio frequency device through an additional device. However, this calibration method cannot calibrate the radio frequency device in real time because a large number of peripherals are required, and the parameter indicators of the radio frequency device will change with the change of the environment. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Embodiments of this application provide a calibration link, a signal receiving link, an electromagnetic wave device, and an integrated circuit.

[0005] A calibration link is used to calibrate the main receiving path of the echo signal. The main receiving path includes a radio frequency unit and an intermediate frequency unit connected in sequence to the receiving antenna. Among them, the calibration link is integrated in an integrated circuit including the main receiving path. Among them, the calibration link includes at least one of a radio frequency auxiliary unit and an intermediate frequency auxiliary unit. Among them: The radio frequency auxiliary unit is connected between the receiving antenna and the radio frequency unit and can be configured to calibrate the radio frequency auxiliary unit by transmitting a radio frequency calibration signal. Correspondingly, the radio frequency unit can be configured to compensate the echo signal received through the receiving antenna based on the calibration information obtained by the radio frequency auxiliary unit and then perform radio frequency signal processing to obtain an intermediate frequency signal. The intermediate frequency auxiliary unit is connected between the radio frequency unit and the intermediate frequency unit and can be configured to calibrate the intermediate frequency unit by transmitting an intermediate frequency calibration signal. Among them, the intermediate frequency unit can be configured to compensate the intermediate frequency signal output by the radio frequency unit based on the calibration information obtained by the intermediate frequency auxiliary unit and then perform intermediate frequency signal processing.

[0006] The embodiment of the present application also provides another calibration link, which can be applied to the calibration of the main receiving path of the echo signal. The main receiving path includes a receiving antenna, a radio frequency unit, and a power detector arranged between the receiving antenna and the radio frequency unit; the calibration link includes a radio frequency auxiliary unit; the radio frequency auxiliary unit is connected between the receiving antenna and the power detector in the main path and is used to calibrate the power detector and / or the radio frequency auxiliary unit by transmitting a calibration signal: wherein, the calibration link is integrated in an integrated circuit including the main receiving path, and the radio frequency unit is configured to compensate the echo signal received through the receiving antenna based on the calibration information obtained by the radio frequency auxiliary unit and then perform radio frequency signal processing.

[0007] Optionally, the main receiving path further includes an intermediate frequency unit, the receiving antenna, the radio frequency unit and the intermediate frequency unit are connected in sequence, and the radio frequency unit is used to perform radio frequency signal processing on the received signal and convert it into an intermediate frequency signal; the calibration link further includes an intermediate frequency auxiliary unit; the intermediate frequency auxiliary unit is connected between the radio frequency unit and the intermediate frequency unit and is used to calibrate the intermediate frequency unit; wherein, the intermediate frequency unit is configured to compensate the intermediate frequency signal output by the radio frequency unit based on the calibration information obtained by the intermediate frequency auxiliary unit and then perform intermediate frequency signal processing.

[0008] Optionally, the radio frequency auxiliary unit is a link composed of IQ devices; wherein, the calibrated intermediate frequency unit is further used to calibrate the radio frequency auxiliary unit; and calibrate the radio frequency unit based on the calibrated radio frequency auxiliary unit.

[0009] Optionally, the radio frequency auxiliary unit and / or the intermediate frequency auxiliary unit includes a digital-to-analog converter DAC, and the digital-to-analog converter DAC is configured to generate a calibration signal.

[0010] A signal receiving link includes: a main receiving path, which can be configured to receive an echo signal; and a calibration link, which is integrated in a device including the main receiving path and can be configured to calibrate the main receiving path; wherein, the main receiving path compensates the echo signal based on the calibration information obtained by the calibration link and then performs echo signal processing.

[0011] An electromagnetic wave device includes at least one signal receiving link; wherein, the signal receiving link includes a main receiving path for receiving electromagnetic wave signals and a calibration link; the main receiving path includes N signal processing units connected in series in sequence, where the electromagnetic wave signals pass through the Nth signal processing unit, the (N - 1)th signal processing unit, the (N - 2)th signal processing unit,..., and the 1st signal processing unit connected in series in sequence; the system includes an auxiliary unit corresponding to each signal processing unit, where: the 1st auxiliary unit can be configured to output an analog 1st calibration signal to perform a calibration operation on the 1st signal unit, where the transmission path of the 1st calibration signal is the 1st signal processing unit; the nth auxiliary unit can be configured to output an analog nth calibration signal to perform a calibration operation on the nth signal unit based on the 1st to (n - 1)th signal processing units for which calibration and compensation have been completed, where the transmission path of the nth calibration signal is the 1st to nth signal processing units; each signal processing unit can be configured to perform a signal processing operation after compensating the received signal based on the calibration result of its corresponding auxiliary unit; where, n = 2, 3,..., N, and N is an integer greater than or equal to 2.

[0012] An integrated circuit has two adjacent and spaced main receiving paths and the above-mentioned calibration link disposed between the two main receiving paths, where the calibration link is shared by the two main receiving paths.

[0013] Since the calibration link is integrated into the integrated circuit including the main receiving path, the calibration link can perform a calibration operation on the main receiving path in real time, and the calibration operation of the calibration link can be independent of changes in the operating environment of the main receiving path, enabling the main receiving path to obtain more accurate calibration information, thereby improving the signal processing performance of the main receiving path.

[0014] Other features and advantages of the present application will be described in the subsequent specification, and in part, will be obvious from the specification, or will be understood by implementing the present application. Other advantages of the present application can be achieved and obtained through the solutions described in the specification and the drawings. Description of the Drawings

[0015] The drawings are used to provide an understanding of the technical solutions of the present application, and constitute a part of the specification. Together with the embodiments of the present application, they are used to explain the technical solutions of the present application and do not constitute a limitation to the technical solutions of the present application.

[0016] Figure 1 It is a schematic structural diagram of the calibration link provided by the embodiment of the present application;

[0017] Figure 2 is Figure 1The first structural schematic diagram of the intermediate frequency auxiliary unit in the calibration link shown;

[0018] Figure 3 is Figure 1 The second structural schematic diagram of the intermediate frequency auxiliary unit in the calibration link shown;

[0019] Figure 4 is Figure 1 The structural schematic diagram of the radio frequency auxiliary unit in the calibration link shown;

[0020] Figure 5 is Figure 4 The structural schematic diagram of the second signal source shown;

[0021] Figure 6 is Figure 4 Another structural schematic diagram of the radio frequency auxiliary unit shown;

[0022] Figure 7 The structural schematic diagram of the signal receiving link provided by the embodiment of the present application;

[0023] Figure 8 is Figure 7 Another structural schematic diagram of the signal receiving link shown;

[0024] Figure 9 The structural schematic diagram of the electromagnetic wave device provided by the embodiment of the present application;

[0025] Figure 10 The structural schematic diagram of the receiving main path provided by the embodiment of the present application

[0026] Figure 11 The structural schematic diagram of the integrated circuit provided by the embodiment of the present application. Detailed implementation manners

[0027] The present application describes multiple embodiments, but the description is exemplary rather than restrictive, and it is obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art that there can be more embodiments and implementation solutions within the scope covered by the embodiments described in the present application. Although many possible feature combinations are shown in the drawings and discussed in the detailed implementation manners, many other combination ways of the disclosed features are also possible. Unless specifically restricted, any feature or element of any embodiment can be combined with any other feature or element in any other embodiment, or can replace any other feature or element in any other embodiment.

[0028] This application includes and contemplates combinations of features and elements known to those of ordinary skill in the art. The embodiments, features, and elements disclosed in this application can also be combined with any conventional features or elements to form a unique inventive solution. Any feature or element of any embodiment can also be combined with features or elements from other inventive solutions to form another unique inventive solution. Therefore, it should be understood that any feature shown and / or discussed in this application can be implemented alone or in any suitable combination. Therefore, the embodiments are not subject to other limitations except those made in accordance with the appended claims and their equivalents. In addition, various modifications and changes can be made within the scope of the appended claims.

[0029] In addition, when describing representative embodiments, the specification may have presented the method and / or process as a specific sequence of steps. However, to the extent that the method or process does not depend on the specific order of the steps described herein, the method or process should not be limited to the specific order of steps described. As will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art, other step sequences are possible. Therefore, the specific order of steps set forth in the specification should not be construed as a limitation on the claims. In addition, the claims directed to the method and / or process should not be limited to performing their steps in the order written, as those skilled in the art can readily understand that these orders can vary and still remain within the spirit and scope of the embodiments of this application.

[0030] Figure 1 The structural schematic diagram of the calibration link provided for the embodiments of this application. As Figure 1 shown, the calibration link is used to calibrate the main receiving path of the echo signal, and the main receiving path includes a radio frequency unit and an intermediate frequency unit connected in sequence to the receiving antenna; wherein, the calibration link is integrated in an integrated circuit including the main receiving path.

[0031] In the embodiments of this application, since the calibration link is integrated in an integrated circuit including the main receiving path, the radio frequency device can be calibrated in real time, and there is no need for external equipment to perform calibration operations on the main receiving path.

[0032] In Figure 1 the structure shown, the calibration link includes at least one of a radio frequency auxiliary unit and an intermediate frequency auxiliary unit; wherein:

[0033] The radio frequency auxiliary unit is connected between the receiving antenna and the radio frequency unit, and can be configured to calibrate the power detector and / or the radio frequency auxiliary unit by transmitting a radio frequency calibration signal; correspondingly, the radio frequency unit can be configured to perform radio frequency signal processing on the echo signal received by the receiving antenna after compensation based on the calibration information obtained by the radio frequency auxiliary unit to obtain an intermediate frequency signal.

[0034] Since the calibration link is integrated into the integrated circuit including the receiving main path, the radio frequency auxiliary unit can calibrate the radio frequency unit in real time. In addition, the operating environment of the radio frequency auxiliary unit is the same as that of the radio frequency unit. Therefore, the calibration operation of the radio frequency auxiliary unit can be independent of the change of the operating environment of the radio frequency unit, enabling the radio frequency auxiliary unit to obtain more accurate calibration information, thereby improving the signal processing performance of the radio frequency unit.

[0035] The intermediate frequency auxiliary unit is connected between the radio frequency unit and the intermediate frequency unit and can be configured to calibrate the intermediate frequency unit by transmitting an intermediate frequency calibration signal. Among them, the intermediate frequency unit can be configured to perform intermediate frequency signal processing after compensating the intermediate frequency signal output by the radio frequency unit based on the calibration information obtained by the intermediate frequency auxiliary unit.

[0036] Since the calibration link is integrated into the integrated circuit including the receiving main path, the intermediate frequency auxiliary unit can calibrate the intermediate frequency unit in real time. In addition, the operating environment of the intermediate frequency auxiliary unit is the same as that of the intermediate frequency unit. Therefore, the calibration operation of the intermediate frequency auxiliary unit can be independent of the change of the operating environment of the intermediate frequency unit, enabling the intermediate frequency auxiliary unit to obtain more accurate calibration information, thereby improving the signal processing performance of the intermediate frequency unit.

[0037] The calibration link provided by the embodiment of the present application enables the calibration link to perform a calibration operation on the receiving main path in real time because the calibration link is integrated into the integrated circuit including the receiving main path, and the calibration operation of the calibration link can be independent of the change of the operating environment of the receiving main path, enabling the receiving main path to obtain more accurate calibration information, thereby improving the signal processing performance of the receiving main path.

[0038] The calibration link provided by the embodiment of the present application will be described below:

[0039] In an exemplary embodiment, the receiving main path further includes a power detector (PD) disposed between the receiving antenna and the radio frequency unit; the radio frequency auxiliary unit is connected between the receiving antenna and the power detector and can be configured to calibrate the power detector by transmitting a radio frequency calibration signal; correspondingly, the power detector can be configured to perform a power detection operation on the echo signal received by the receiving antenna based on the calibration information obtained by the radio frequency auxiliary unit.

[0040] Since the calibration link is integrated in the integrated circuit including the receiving main path, the radio frequency auxiliary unit can calibrate the power detector in real time. In addition, the operating environment of the radio frequency auxiliary unit is the same as that of the power detector. Therefore, the calibration operation of the radio frequency auxiliary unit can be independent of the change of the operating environment of the power detector, enabling the radio frequency auxiliary unit to obtain more accurate calibration information, thereby improving the signal processing performance of the power detector.

[0041] In an exemplary embodiment, when the calibration link includes a radio frequency auxiliary unit and an intermediate frequency auxiliary unit, the calibrated intermediate frequency unit calibrates the radio frequency auxiliary unit; and the calibrated radio frequency auxiliary unit calibrates the radio frequency unit.

[0042] In the above embodiment, when the calibration link includes a radio frequency auxiliary unit and an intermediate frequency auxiliary unit, the receiving main path can be calibrated in the following order, including: using the intermediate frequency auxiliary unit to calibrate the intermediate frequency unit; using the calibrated intermediate frequency unit to calibrate the radio frequency auxiliary unit; using the calibrated radio frequency auxiliary unit to calibrate the radio frequency unit.

[0043] Since calibrating the radio frequency auxiliary unit with the calibrated intermediate frequency unit can improve the signal processing performance of the radio frequency auxiliary unit, and calibrating the radio frequency unit with the radio frequency auxiliary unit with improved signal performance can improve the accuracy of the calibration operation of the radio frequency unit.

[0044] In an exemplary embodiment, at least one of the radio frequency calibration signal and the intermediate frequency calibration signal is a single-tone signal. Among them, the single-tone signal, also called the single-frequency signal, is a signal with only one constant frequency, which can be a sine signal or a cosine signal. The frequency of the single-tone signal can be set according to the circuit structure receiving the single-tone signal.

[0045] When calibrating the receiving main path, using the single-tone signal as the calibration signal output by the calibration link can reduce the complexity of signal processing in the calibration operation and improve the calibration efficiency.

[0046] Figure 2 For Figure 1 The first structural schematic diagram of the intermediate frequency auxiliary unit in the shown calibration link. As Figure 2 shown, the intermediate frequency auxiliary unit includes: a first signal source, which can be configured to output a digital intermediate frequency calibration signal; a first real digital-to-analog converter, which can be configured to convert the digital intermediate frequency calibration signal into an analog intermediate frequency calibration signal. Among them, the frequency of the intermediate frequency calibration signal can be set according to the frequency of the signal received by the intermediate frequency unit.

[0047] In this embodiment, a digital intermediate-frequency calibration signal is generated by using a first signal source, which can improve the generation efficiency of the intermediate-frequency calibration signal. Then, the signal is converted by a first real digital-to-analog converter to obtain a signal supported by the intermediate-frequency unit for reception.

[0048] Figure 3 For Figure 1 Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a second structure of an intermediate-frequency auxiliary unit in the calibration link shown. As Figure 3 shown, the intermediate-frequency auxiliary unit includes a second real digital-to-analog converter, a first mixer, and a first squarer, etc.; the second real digital-to-analog converter can be configured to convert a preset digital signal into an analog signal; the first mixer can be configured to mix the signal output by the second real digital-to-analog converter with a local oscillator signal to obtain a mixed signal; the first squarer can be configured to square the mixed signal to obtain the intermediate-frequency calibration signal. Among them, the number of the second real digital-to-analog converters can be one or at least two.

[0049] In this embodiment, by using a first mixer to mix the local oscillator signal with the signal output by the second real digital-to-analog converter, a mixed signal approximating a single-tone signal is obtained, and then the mixed signal is squared by a first squarer to obtain a single-tone signal as the intermediate-frequency calibration signal.

[0050] Figure 4 For Figure 1 Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a radio-frequency auxiliary unit in the calibration link shown. As Figure 4 shown, the radio-frequency auxiliary unit may include a second signal source, a filtering unit, a power amplifier, a second mixer, etc. Among them, the second signal source can be configured to output a digital original signal; the filtering unit can be configured to filter the original signal to obtain a filtered signal; the power amplifier can be configured to amplify the filtered signal to obtain an amplified signal; the second mixer can be configured to mix the amplified signal with the local oscillator signal to obtain a required signal.

[0051] It should be noted that the components in the above radio-frequency auxiliary unit can also be used to form a signal transmission link.

[0052] Figure 5 For Figure 4 Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the second signal source shown. As Figure 5 shown, the second signal source includes a direct digital frequency synthesizer and a digital-to-analog converter, etc.; the direct digital frequency synthesizer can be configured to output a digital signal of an initial signal; the digital-to-analog converter can be configured to convert the received signal from a digital signal into an analog signal to obtain the original signal.

[0053] In this embodiment, by using a direct digital frequency synthesizer to generate a digital signal, the signal generation efficiency can be improved, and then the signal is converted through a digital-to-analog converter to obtain the signal required for the receiving main path.

[0054] In some alternative embodiments, the digital signal output by the direct digital frequency synthesizer may be a quadrature signal; the digital-to-analog converter is a digital-to-analog converter corresponding to the quadrature signal to form a transmission link for the quadrature signal.

[0055] In the embodiment, in order to improve the calibration performance of the radio frequency auxiliary unit, the radio frequency auxiliary unit compensates the radio frequency auxiliary unit based on the calibration information obtained by the calibrated intermediate frequency auxiliary unit.

[0056] Figure 6 For Figure 5 Another structural schematic diagram of the radio frequency auxiliary unit shown. As Figure 6 shown, the radio frequency auxiliary unit includes at least one of an orthogonal compensation unit, a squarer, and an adder. Among them, one end of the orthogonal compensation unit is connected to the direct digital frequency synthesizer, and the other end is connected to the digital-to-analog converter, and can be configured to compensate for the quadrature imbalance of the received initial signal when the initial signal output by the direct digital frequency synthesizer is a quadrature signal. The second squarer can be connected to the second mixer and can be configured to process the signal output by the second mixer and output it to the calibrated intermediate frequency unit. The adder, one end is connected to the direct digital frequency synthesizer, and the other end is connected to the digital-to-analog converter, and can be configured to compensate for the leakage of the local oscillator signal.

[0057] In the embodiment of the present application, the receiving main path may include a receiving antenna, that is, the receiving antenna can be connected through the peripheral port of the chip to form on a carrier such as a PCB board. At the same time, in some alternative embodiments, the receiving antenna can also be integrated on the package of the chip to form an AiP (Antenna-In-Package), AoP (Antenna-On-Package), or AoC (Antenna-On-Chip) chip structure, that is, a chip structure with a packaged antenna.

[0058] Figure 7 A structural schematic diagram of the signal receiving link provided by the embodiment of the present application. As Figure 7 shown, the signal receiving link includes: a receiving main path, which can be configured to receive an echo signal; and a calibration link, integrated in a device including the receiving main path, which can be configured to calibrate the receiving main path; wherein, the receiving main path compensates the echo signal based on the calibration information obtained by the calibration link and then performs echo signal processing.

[0059] It should be noted that the above calibration link can be any calibration link described in any embodiment of the present application.

[0060] Figure 8 For Figure 7 Another structural schematic diagram of the signal receiving link shown. As Figure 8 shown, Figure 8 IFATX in it corresponds to the intermediate frequency auxiliary unit of the present application, RFATX corresponds to the radio frequency auxiliary unit in the present application, and Receiver corresponds to the main receiving path of the present application.

[0061] IFATX includes a frequency divider and a 1-bit Real ADC, which are used to output intermediate frequency calibration signals and can stably generate single-tone signals in various environments. The single-tone signals can be freely configured into multiple frequencies. When using IFATX to assist in calibrating Receiver, it needs to be calibrated in advance, including the calibration of the intermediate frequency frequency response and the DC calibration. RFATX can be used to output radio frequency calibration signals.

[0062] Specifically, RFATX includes DDFS, an IQ compensation module, an adder, a digital-to-analog converter for IQ, a low-pass filter, an amplifier, a local oscillator, and a squarer. DDFS can stably generate single-tone signals in various environments, and the single-tone signals can be freely configured into multiple frequencies. The IQ compensation module is used to solve the problem of ATX IQ imbalance, and then the adder is used to solve the problem of local oscillator leakage of RFATX. The squarer module is used to solve the problem of residual sidebands caused by ATX IQ imbalance

[0063] When using RFATX to calibrate the receiving link, it needs to be calibrated in advance, including: the calibration of local oscillator leakage of RF ATX, the calibration of the radio frequency frequency response of RFATX, and the calibration of RF ATX IQ imbalance. After completing the above calibration items, the stable RFATX can be used to calibrate the receiving link. By transmitting single-tone signals of different frequencies through ATX, and then through the baseband signal processing module of the receiving link, the receiving link can be calibrated, including the power detector at the input end of the LNA, the total gain from the LNA to the ADC of the receiving link, and the auxiliary calibration of the frequency response.

[0064] Before calibrating the receiving link with RFATX, the intermediate frequency unit can be calibrated using the completed IFATX. After completing the calibration of the intermediate frequency unit, the calibrated intermediate frequency unit can be used to calibrate RFATX. After the calibration of RFATX is completed, the calibrated RFATX can be used to calibrate the radio frequency unit.

[0065] Among them, the main receiving path and the calibration link are integrated on the same chip, the same PCD board, or the same PCB board to support real-time detection of the main receiving path.

[0066] In addition, when there is deployment space in the vicinity of the main receiving path, the calibration link can preferably be deployed as close as possible to the main receiving path to reduce the influence of signal transmission loss and interference on the calibration result.

[0067] In the signal receiving link provided by the embodiment of the present application, since the calibration link is integrated in the integrated circuit including the main receiving path, the calibration link can perform real-time calibration operations on the main receiving path, and the calibration operations of the calibration link can be independent of changes in the operating environment of the main receiving path, so that the main receiving path can obtain more accurate calibration information, thereby improving the signal processing performance of the main receiving path.

[0068] Figure 9 This is a schematic structural diagram of the electromagnetic wave device provided by the embodiment of the present application. As Figure 9 shown, the electromagnetic wave device includes at least one main receiving path; among them, the main receiving path includes a main receiving path for receiving electromagnetic wave signals and a calibration link; the main receiving path includes N signal processing units connected in series in sequence, where the electromagnetic wave signal passes through the Nth signal processing unit, the (N - 1)th signal processing unit, the (N - 2)th signal processing unit,..., and the 1st signal processing unit connected in series in sequence; the system includes auxiliary units corresponding to each signal processing unit, where: the 1st auxiliary unit can be configured to output an analog 1st calibration signal to perform a calibration operation on the 1st signal unit, where the transmission path of the 1st calibration signal is the 1st signal processing unit; the nth auxiliary unit can be configured to output an analog nth calibration signal to perform a calibration operation on the nth signal unit based on the 1st to (n - 1)th signal processing units that have been calibrated and compensated, where the transmission path of the nth calibration signal is the 1st to nth signal processing units; each signal processing unit can be configured to perform a signal processing operation after compensating the received signal based on the calibration results of their respective corresponding auxiliary units; where n = 2, 3,..., N, and N is an integer greater than or equal to 2.

[0069] Since the main receiving path includes multiple functional devices, which can be filters, mixers, amplifiers, or digital-to-analog converters for realizing filtering functions, each independent functional device can be used as a signal processing unit, or at least two adjacent functional devices can be used as a signal processing unit.

[0070] Figure 10 This is a schematic structural diagram of the main receiving path provided by the embodiment of the present application. As Figure 10As shown, the receiving main path includes a plurality of functional devices connected in series in sequence, including: a Low Noise Amplifier (LNA), a mixer, a Low Pass Filter (LPF), a High Pass Filter (HPF), a Real Analog-to-Digital Converter (Real ADC), an adder, and a receiving processing module (RF Calib).

[0071] In one implementation, Figure 10 each functional device in the shown structure is used as a signal processing unit.

[0072] In another implementation, Figure 10 each functional device in a part of the functional devices in the shown structure is used as a signal processing unit, and for the functional devices in another part, adjacent functional devices are used as a signal processing unit. For example, the Low Pass Filter (LPF) and the High Pass Filter (HPF) are used as a signal processing unit; or, the mixer and the Low Noise Amplifier (LNA) are used as a signal processing unit, that is, the above-mentioned radio frequency unit, and the Low Pass Filter (LPF), the High Pass Filter (HPF), the Real Analog-to-Digital Converter (Real ADC), and the adder are used as another signal processing unit, that is, the above-mentioned intermediate frequency unit.

[0073] In an exemplary embodiment, the calibrated first to the (n - 1)th signal processing units calibrate the nth auxiliary unit; and, the nth auxiliary unit can be configured to calibrate the nth signal processing unit based on the calibration information obtained from the calibrated first to the (n - 1)th signal processing units.

[0074] Since the auxiliary unit to be used is calibrated by using the calibrated signal processing unit, the signal processing performance of the auxiliary unit can be improved. By using the auxiliary unit with improved signal performance to calibrate the signal processing unit, the accuracy of the calibration operation can be improved.

[0075] In the electromagnetic wave device provided by the embodiment of the present application, since the calibration link is integrated in the integrated circuit including the receiving main path, the calibration link can perform a calibration operation on the receiving main path in real time, and the calibration operation of the calibration link can be independent of the change of the operating environment of the receiving main path, so that the receiving main path can obtain more accurate calibration information, thereby improving the signal processing performance of the receiving main path.

[0076] Figure 11 It is a schematic structural diagram of the integrated circuit provided by the embodiment of the present application. As Figure 11As shown, the integrated circuit has two adjacent and spaced receiving main paths and the calibration link as described above disposed between the two receiving main paths, where the calibration link is shared by the two receiving main paths.

[0077] In the integrated circuit provided by the embodiment of the present application, since the calibration link is integrated in the integrated circuit including the receiving main path, the calibration link can perform calibration operations on the receiving main path in real time, and the calibration operations of the calibration link can be independent of changes in the operating environment of the receiving main path, so that the receiving main path can obtain more accurate calibration information, thereby improving the signal processing performance of the receiving main path.

[0078] Those of ordinary skill in the art can understand that all or some of the steps in the methods disclosed above, and the functional modules / units in the systems and devices, can be implemented as software, firmware, hardware, and their appropriate combinations. In the hardware implementation, the division of the functional modules / units mentioned above does not necessarily correspond to the division of physical components; for example, a physical component can have multiple functions, or a function or step can be executed by several physical components in cooperation. Some or all components can be implemented as software executed by a processor, such as a digital signal processor or a microprocessor, or implemented as hardware, or implemented as an integrated circuit, such as an application-specific integrated circuit. Such software can be distributed on a computer-readable medium, which can include a computer storage medium (or non-transitory medium) and a communication medium (or transitory medium). As is well known to those of ordinary skill in the art, the term "computer storage medium" includes volatile and non-volatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any method or technology for storing information, such as computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data. Computer storage media include, but are not limited to, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other memory technologies, CD-ROM, digital versatile disk (DVD) or other optical disk storage, magnetic cassette, tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be configured to store the desired information and can be accessed by a computer. In addition, as is well known to those of ordinary skill in the art, a communication medium typically includes computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data in a modulated data signal such as a carrier wave or other transmission mechanism, and can include any information delivery medium.

Claims

1. A calibration link, characterized in that, The calibration link is used to calibrate the main receiving path of the echo signal. The main receiving path includes a radio frequency unit and an intermediate frequency unit that are sequentially connected to the receiving antenna. Among them, the calibration link is integrated in an integrated circuit including the main receiving path; Among them, the calibration link includes at least one of a radio frequency auxiliary unit and an intermediate frequency auxiliary unit. Among them: The radio frequency auxiliary unit is connected between the receiving antenna and the radio frequency unit, and can be configured to calibrate the radio frequency unit by transmitting a radio frequency calibration signal; Correspondingly, the radio frequency unit can be configured to perform radio frequency signal processing on the echo signal received by the receiving antenna after compensation based on the calibration information obtained by the radio frequency auxiliary unit, and obtain an intermediate frequency signal; The intermediate frequency auxiliary unit is connected between the radio frequency unit and the intermediate frequency unit, and can be configured to calibrate the intermediate frequency unit by transmitting an intermediate frequency calibration signal; Among them, the intermediate frequency unit can be configured to perform intermediate frequency signal processing on the intermediate frequency signal output by the radio frequency unit after compensation based on the calibration information obtained by the intermediate frequency auxiliary unit; Among them, when the calibration link includes a radio frequency auxiliary unit and an intermediate frequency auxiliary unit, the calibrated intermediate frequency unit calibrates the radio frequency auxiliary unit; and, the calibrated radio frequency auxiliary unit calibrates the radio frequency unit.

2. The calibration link according to claim 1, wherein: The main receiving path further includes a power detector disposed between the receiving antenna and the radio frequency unit; The radio frequency auxiliary unit is connected between the receiving antenna and the power detector, and can be configured to calibrate the power detector by transmitting a radio frequency calibration signal; Correspondingly, the power detector can be configured to perform a power detection operation on the echo signal received by the receiving antenna based on the calibration information obtained by the radio frequency auxiliary unit.

3. The calibration link according to claim 1, characterized in that, At least one of the radio frequency calibration signal and the intermediate frequency calibration signal is a single-tone signal.

4. The calibration link according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that The intermediate frequency auxiliary unit includes: A first signal source that can be configured to output a digital intermediate frequency calibration signal; A first real digital-to-analog converter that can be configured to convert the digital intermediate frequency calibration signal into an analog intermediate frequency calibration signal.

5. The calibration link according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The intermediate frequency auxiliary unit includes: A second real digital-to-analog converter that can be configured to convert a preset digital signal into an analog signal; A first mixer that can be configured to mix the signal output by the second real digital-to-analog converter and the local oscillator signal to obtain a mixed signal; A first squarer that can be configured to square the mixed signal to obtain the intermediate frequency calibration signal.

6. The calibration link according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that The radio frequency auxiliary unit includes; A second signal source that can be configured to output a digital original signal; A filtering unit that can be configured to filter the original signal to obtain a filtered signal; A power amplifier that can be configured to amplify the filtered signal to obtain an amplified signal; A second mixer that can be configured to mix the amplified signal with the local oscillator signal to obtain a desired signal.

7. The calibration link according to claim 6, wherein The second signal source includes: A direct digital frequency synthesizer, which can be configured to output a digital signal for an initial signal; A digital-to-analog converter, which can be configured to convert a received signal from a digital signal to an analog signal to obtain the original signal.

8. The calibration link according to claim 7, characterized in that: The digital signal output by the direct digital frequency synthesizer is a quadrature signal; The digital-to-analog converter is a digital-to-analog converter corresponding to the quadrature signal.

9. The calibration link according to claim 7, wherein The radio frequency auxiliary unit includes at least one of a quadrature compensation unit, a squarer, and an adder, wherein: The quadrature compensation unit is connected to the direct digital frequency synthesizer at one end and to the digital-to-analog converter at the other end, and can be configured to compensate for the quadrature imbalance of the received initial signal when the initial signal output by the direct digital frequency synthesizer is a quadrature signal; The second squarer is connected to the second mixer and can be configured to process the signal output by the second mixer and output it to the calibrated intermediate frequency unit; The adder is connected to the direct digital frequency synthesizer at one end and to the digital-to-analog converter at the other end, and can be configured to compensate for the leakage of the local oscillator signal.

10. A calibration link, characterized in that, Applied to the calibration of the main receiving path of the echo signal, the main receiving path includes a receiving antenna, a radio frequency unit, and a power detector arranged between the receiving antenna and the radio frequency unit; The calibration link includes a radio frequency auxiliary unit; The radio frequency auxiliary unit is connected between the receiving antenna and the power detector in the main receiving path, and is used to calibrate the power detector and / or the radio frequency auxiliary unit by transmitting a calibration signal: Wherein, the calibration link is integrated in an integrated circuit including the main receiving path, and the radio frequency unit is configured to perform radio frequency signal processing on the echo signal received through the receiving antenna after compensation based on the calibration information obtained by the radio frequency auxiliary unit.

11. The calibration link according to claim 10, wherein The main receiving path further includes an intermediate frequency unit, the receiving antenna, the radio frequency unit, and the intermediate frequency unit are connected in sequence, and the radio frequency unit is used to perform radio frequency signal processing on the received signal and convert it into an intermediate frequency signal; The calibration link further includes an intermediate frequency auxiliary unit; The intermediate frequency auxiliary unit is connected between the radio frequency unit and the intermediate frequency unit and is used to calibrate the intermediate frequency unit; Wherein, the intermediate frequency unit is configured to perform intermediate frequency signal processing on the intermediate frequency signal output by the radio frequency unit after compensation based on the calibration information obtained by the intermediate frequency auxiliary unit.

12. The calibration link according to claim 11, wherein The radio frequency auxiliary unit is a link composed of IQ devices; Wherein, the calibrated intermediate frequency unit is further used to calibrate the radio frequency auxiliary unit; and Based on the calibrated radio frequency auxiliary unit, the radio frequency unit is calibrated.

13. The calibration link according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that The radio frequency auxiliary unit and / or the intermediate frequency auxiliary unit includes a digital-to-analog converter DAC, and the digital-to-analog converter DAC is configured to generate a calibration signal.

14. A signal receiving link, characterized in that, Including: A main receiving path, which can be configured to receive an echo signal; And A calibration link, integrated in a device including the main receiving path, which can be configured to calibrate the main receiving path; Among them, the main receiving path compensates the echo signal based on the calibration information obtained from the calibration link, and then performs echo signal processing.

15. The signal receiving link according to claim 14, characterized in that, The calibration link includes the calibration link according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

16. The signal receiving link according to claim 14 or 15, characterized in that, The main receiving path and the calibration link are integrated on the same chip, the same PCD board, or the same PCB board.

17. An electromagnetic wave device, characterized in that, It includes at least one signal receiving link; among them, the signal receiving link includes a main receiving path and a calibration link for receiving electromagnetic wave signals; the calibration link is integrated in an integrated circuit including the main receiving path, and the main receiving path includes N signal processing units connected in series. The electromagnetic wave signal sequentially passes through the Nth signal processing unit, the (N - 1)th signal processing unit, the (N - 2)th signal processing unit,..., and the 1st signal processing unit. The electromagnetic wave device includes an auxiliary unit corresponding to each signal processing unit, where: The 1st auxiliary unit can be configured to output an analog 1st calibration signal to calibrate the 1st signal unit, and the transmission path of the 1st calibration signal is the 1st signal processing unit. The nth auxiliary unit can be configured to output an analog nth calibration signal to calibrate the nth signal unit based on the 1st to (n - 1)th signal processing units after calibration and compensation, and the transmission path of the nth calibration signal is the 1st to nth signal processing units. Each signal processing unit can be configured to compensate the received signal based on the calibration result of its corresponding auxiliary unit and then perform signal processing operations. Among them, n = 2, 3,..., N, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 2.

18. The electromagnetic wave device according to claim 17, wherein: The calibrated 1st to (n - 1)th signal processing units calibrate the nth auxiliary unit; and the nth auxiliary unit can be configured to calibrate the nth signal processing unit based on the calibration information obtained from the calibrated 1st to (n - 1)th signal processing units.

19. An integrated circuit, characterized in that, The integrated circuit has two adjacent and spaced main receiving paths and a calibration link according to any one of claims 1 to 13 disposed between the two main receiving paths, and the calibration link is shared by the two main receiving paths.

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