A self-calibration local oscillator signal generating device and calibration method thereof

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a self-calibration local oscillator signal generating device and a calibration method thereof. The device is provided with a reference state and a working state, and includes: a first signal generating module, which outputs a first local oscillator reference signal in the reference state and a first local oscillator working signal in the working state; a second signal generating module, which outputs a second local oscillator reference signal in the reference state and a second local oscillator working signal in the working state; a first phase detection and adjustment module, which adjusts the second local oscillator working signal when the phase difference between the second local oscillator working signal and the first local oscillator working signal is different from the phase difference between the second local oscillator reference signal and the first local oscillator reference signal, so that the phase difference between the second local oscillator working signal and the first local oscillator working signal is equal to the phase difference between the second local oscillator reference signal and the first local oscillator reference signal. Some embodiments of the present disclosure can avoid the uncertainty of the phase between the local oscillator signals when reopening, improve the image suppression and reduce the power consumption.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the field of wireless communication technologies, and particularly to a self-calibrating local oscillator signal generating device and a calibration method thereof. Background Art

[0002] In a wireless communication transceiver, a local oscillator signal, especially a quadrature local oscillator signal, is usually generated by a divide-by-2 circuit. However, due to the uncertainty in the phase of the local oscillator signal generated by the divide-by-2 circuit, in a MIMO system, the uncertainty in the phase of the local oscillator signals between different channels causes the system to malfunction. If a single divide-by-2 circuit is used for the entire chip, then the local oscillator signal distribution network will occupy a large amount of chip area, and the long trace of the local oscillator signal will also reduce the image rejection performance. If a separate divide-by-2 circuit is used for each channel, then once the divide-by-2 circuit is turned on, it cannot be turned off, otherwise turning it on again will cause uncertainty in the phase between them, and continuously not turning it off will inevitably lead to a relatively large overall power consumption.

[0003] The above technical solutions have corresponding problems in terms of chip area usage, image rejection performance, and power consumption.

[0004] Therefore, the existing technology still needs to be improved.

[0005] It should be noted that the above introduction of the technical background is only for the convenience of clearly and completely explaining the technical solutions of the present application and facilitating the understanding of those skilled in the art. It cannot be considered that the above technical solutions are well-known to those skilled in the art just because these solutions are described in the background art part of the present application. Summary of the Invention

[0006] In order to solve at least one of the above problems and one or more of other potential problems, the present disclosure proposes a self-calibrating local oscillator signal generating device and a calibration method thereof, in order to avoid the uncertainty in the phase between local oscillator signals when restarting, and then improve the image rejection performance and power consumption to be more optimal.

[0007] In a first aspect of the present disclosure, a self - calibrating local oscillator signal generating device is proposed. The local oscillator signal generating device is provided with a reference state and an operating state. The local oscillator signal generating device includes: a first signal generating module configured to output a first local oscillator reference signal in the reference state and a first local oscillator operating signal in the operating state; a second signal generating module configured to output a second local oscillator reference signal in the reference state and a second local oscillator operating signal in the operating state; a first phase detection and adjustment module configured to adjust the second local oscillator operating signal when it detects that the phase difference between the second local oscillator operating signal and the first local oscillator operating signal is different from the phase difference between the second local oscillator reference signal and the first local oscillator reference signal, so that the phase difference between the second local oscillator operating signal and the first local oscillator operating signal is equal to the phase difference between the second local oscillator reference signal and the first local oscillator reference signal.

[0008] Further, in some embodiments, the first signal generating module is configured to generate and output the first local oscillator reference signal or the first local oscillator operating signal based on a first reference signal; the second signal generating module is configured to generate and output the second local oscillator reference signal or the second local oscillator operating signal based on a second reference signal.

[0009] Further, in some embodiments, the first signal generating module is configured as a divide - by - 2 frequency divider, and the divide - by - 2 frequency divider is used to divide the frequency of the first reference signal by 2, so that the frequency of the output first local oscillator reference signal or the first local oscillator operating signal is one - half of the frequency of the first reference signal; the second signal generating module is configured as a divide - by - 2 with delay frequency divider, and the divide - by - 2 with delay frequency divider includes a divide - by - 2 frequency division mode and a delay frequency division mode. In the divide - by - 2 frequency division mode of the divide - by - 2 with delay frequency divider, the divide - by - 2 with delay frequency divider is used to divide the frequency of the second reference signal by 2, so that the frequency of the output second local oscillator reference signal or the second local oscillator operating signal is one - half of the frequency of the second reference signal; in the delay frequency division mode of the divide - by - 2 with delay frequency divider, the divide - by - 2 with delay frequency divider is configured to maintain the signal waveform output state of the signal output at that moment until the divide - by - 2 with delay frequency divider switches back to the divide - by - 2 frequency division mode and continues to output signals in the divide - by - 2 frequency division mode.

[0010] Further, in some embodiments, when it is detected that the phase difference between the second local oscillator operating signal and the first local oscillator operating signal is different from the phase difference between the second local oscillator reference signal and the first local oscillator reference signal, the divide - by - 2 with delay frequency divider is configured to be in the delay frequency division mode and hold the waveform of the second local oscillator operating signal for half a cycle, so that the phase of the second local oscillator operating signal is delayed by 180 degrees.

[0011] Further, in some embodiments, the above-mentioned divide-by-2 delay frequency divider is configured to include a divide-by-2 / 3 frequency divider, and the divide-by-2 / 3 frequency divider is configured to: when the divide-by-2 / 3 frequency divider is in the delay frequency division mode, the divide-by-2 / 3 frequency divider divides the frequency of the second reference signal by 3, so that the frequency of the output second local oscillator reference signal or the second local oscillator operating signal is one-third of the frequency of the second reference signal.

[0012] Further, in some embodiments, the local oscillator signal generating device further includes a first timing adjustment module, which is configured to generate a signal from the first signal generating module based on the second reference signal and transmit the adjusted first local oscillator reference signal or the adjusted first local oscillator operating adjustment signal to the first phase detection and adjustment module.

[0013] Further, in some embodiments, when the first timing adjustment module detects that the rising edge or falling edge of the signal from the first signal generating module coincides with the rising edge or falling edge of the second reference signal, the phase of the signal is adjusted so that the rising edge or falling edge of the signal no longer coincides with the rising edge or falling edge of the second reference signal, and the signal is transmitted to the first phase detection and adjustment module.

[0014] Further, in some embodiments, when the first timing adjustment module detects that the rising edge or falling edge of the signal from the first signal generating module coincides with the rising edge or falling edge of the second reference signal, the phase of the signal is adjusted to be delayed by 2 delay cycles, and the delay cycle is determined by a delay unit.

[0015] Further, in some embodiments, the first phase detection and adjustment module further includes an enable signal input terminal. When the first phase detection and adjustment module detects that an enable signal is input from the enable signal input terminal, the first phase detection and adjustment module is configured to detect the phase difference between the signal from the first timing adjustment module and the signal from the second signal generating module.

[0016] Further, in some embodiments, the first phase detection and adjustment module is configured to start outputting the phase difference between the signal from the first signal generating module and the signal from the second signal generating module in the rising edge stage of the second reference signal. It should be understood that the first phase detection and adjustment module is always in a detection state. When the enable signal flips to a high level, the detection result is output when the reference signal is high, and the previous output value is maintained when the reference signal is low; when the enable signal is low, the output is set to 0. In other embodiments, the control logic can be reversed.

[0017] Further, in some embodiments, when the phase difference between the signal from the first timing adjustment module and the signal from the second signal generation module detected by the first phase detection and adjustment module is 180 degrees, the first phase detection and adjustment module adjusts the second signal generation module so that the phase difference between the signal from the second signal generation module and the signal from the first timing adjustment module is 0 degrees.

[0018] Further, in some embodiments, when the first signal generation module is set as the divide-by-2 frequency divider and the second signal generation module is set as the divide-by-2 with delay frequency divider; and when the first phase detection and adjustment module detects that the phase difference between the signal from the first timing adjustment module and the signal from the second signal generation module is 180 degrees at the rising edge stage of the second reference signal, the second signal generation module is set to switch from the divide-by-2 frequency division mode to the delay frequency division mode; when the first phase detection and adjustment module detects that the phase difference between the signal from the first timing adjustment module and the signal from the second signal generation module is 0 degrees at the rising edge stage of the second reference signal, the second signal generation module switches from the delay frequency division mode to the divide-by-2 frequency division mode.

[0019] Further, in some embodiments, the self-calibrating local oscillator signal generating device further includes: an Nth signal generation module configured to output an Nth local oscillator reference signal in the reference state and an Nth local oscillator working signal in the working state; an (N + 1)th signal generation module configured to output an (N + 1)th local oscillator reference signal in the reference state and an (N + 1)th local oscillator working signal in the working state; an Nth phase detection and adjustment module configured to adjust the (N + 1)th local oscillator working signal when detecting that the phase difference between the (N + 1)th local oscillator working signal and the Nth local oscillator working signal is different from the phase difference between the (N + 1)th local oscillator reference signal and the Nth local oscillator reference signal, so that the phase difference between the (N + 1)th local oscillator working signal and the Nth local oscillator working signal is equal to the phase difference between the (N + 1)th local oscillator reference signal and the Nth local oscillator reference signal; the Nth signal generation module is configured to generate and output the Nth local oscillator reference signal or the Nth local oscillator working signal based on an Nth reference signal; the (N + 1)th signal generation module is configured to generate and output the (N + 1)th local oscillator reference signal or the (N + 1)th local oscillator working signal based on an (N + 1)th reference signal; an Nth timing adjustment module configured to generate the signal from the Nth signal generation module based on the (N + 1)th reference signal and transmit an Nth local oscillator reference adjustment signal or an Nth local oscillator working adjustment signal to the Nth phase detection and adjustment module; where N is a positive integer greater than 1.

[0020] In a second aspect of the present disclosure, a calibration method for the above self-calibrating local oscillator signal generating device is further proposed. The calibration method includes: receiving the first local oscillator reference signal and the second local oscillator reference signal based on the above calibration state; receiving the first local oscillator working signal and the second local oscillator working signal based on the above working state; when, in the above working state, it is detected that the phase difference between the second local oscillator working signal and the first local oscillator working signal is different from the phase difference between the second local oscillator reference signal and the first local oscillator reference signal, adjusting the second local oscillator working signal so that the phase difference between the second local oscillator working signal and the first local oscillator working signal is equal to the phase difference between the second local oscillator reference signal and the first local oscillator reference signal.

[0021] The present disclosure has the following beneficial effects compared with the prior art:

[0022] (1) In some embodiments, by setting the first phase detection and adjustment module, when it is detected that the phase difference between the second local oscillator working signal and the first local oscillator working signal is different from the phase difference between the second local oscillator reference signal and the first local oscillator reference signal, a new second local oscillator working signal is generated by adjusting the second signal generation module, so that the phase difference between the new second local oscillator working signal and the first local oscillator working signal is equal to the phase difference between the second local oscillator reference signal and the first local oscillator reference signal. Thus, it is avoided that the system cannot work properly due to the uncertainty of the phase difference between the local oscillator signals generated by the first signal generation module and the second signal generation module after re-powering on.

[0023] (2) Further, in some embodiments, the second signal generation module is set as a divide-by-2 with delay frequency divider. When it is detected that the phase difference between the second local oscillator working signal and the first local oscillator working signal is different from the phase difference between the second local oscillator reference signal and the first local oscillator reference signal, the divide-by-2 with delay frequency divider can be set to the delay frequency division mode and the waveform of the second local oscillator working signal is held for half a cycle, so that the phase of the second local oscillator working signal is delayed by 180 degrees. Thus, the uncertainty of the phase of the local oscillator signal generated by the original divide-by-2 circuit is transformed into certainty, and then the system works properly. Description of the Drawings

[0024] In combination with the drawings and with reference to the following detailed description, the above and other features, advantages and aspects of the embodiments of the present disclosure will become more obvious, where:

[0025] Figure 1 Shows a timing diagram of a divide-by-2 circuit according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0026] Figure 2 Shows a diagram of a self-calibrating local oscillator signal generating device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0027] Figure 3 Shows a timing diagram of a self - calibration local oscillator signal generating device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0028] Figure 4 Shows a circuit diagram of a second signal generation module according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0029] Figure 5 Shows a circuit diagram of a first phase detection and adjustment module according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0030] Figure 6 Shows a diagram of another self - calibration local oscillator signal generating device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0031] Figure 7 Shows a timing diagram of a first timing adjustment module according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0032] Figure 8 Shows a diagram of yet another self - calibration local oscillator signal generating device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0033] Figure 9 Shows a circuit diagram of another type of second signal generation module according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0034] Figure 10 Shows a flowchart of a calibration method for a self - calibration local oscillator signal generating device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure; and

[0035] In each of the drawings, the same or corresponding reference numerals denote the same or corresponding parts. Detailed Description of Specific Embodiments

[0036] Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Although some embodiments of the present disclosure are shown in the drawings, it should be understood that the present disclosure can be implemented in various forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. On the contrary, these embodiments are provided to more thoroughly and completely understand the present disclosure. It should be understood that the drawings and embodiments of the present disclosure are only for exemplary purposes and are not used to limit the protection scope of the present disclosure.

[0037] In the description of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the term "including" and its like should be understood as an open inclusion, that is, "including but not limited to". The term "based on" should be understood as "at least partially based on". The term "one embodiment" or "the embodiment" should be understood as "at least one embodiment". The terms "first", "second", etc. may refer to different or the same objects. There may also be other explicit and implicit definitions hereinafter.

[0038] Generally, in some wireless communication transceivers, the local oscillator signal is usually generated by a divide-by-2 circuit. However, since the local oscillator signal generated by the divide-by-2 circuit has phase uncertainty, in a MIMO system, the phase uncertainty of the local oscillator signal between different channels makes the system unable to work properly. For example, Figure 1 The timing diagram of the divide-by-2 circuit shown in the figure shows the uncertainty of the output phase of the divide-by-2 circuit. In the figure, clk_in is the input, and the two outputs clk_out0 and clk_out1 of the corresponding two divide-by-2 circuits (such as the divide-by-2 divider) should be understood that the figure is a possible output situation. For the same input signal, there is uncertainty in the phase between the outputs of the two divide-by-2 circuits. At some times, the phases of the two outputs may be in phase, while at other times, especially when the power is turned on for the first time, the two outputs are still in phase, but after the power is turned on again, the phase may become reversed.

[0039] To solve the problem of uncertainty in the phase of the local oscillator signal between the above different paths, in some examples, the method used is: the entire chip uses a divide-by-2 circuit to generate a 4-phase local oscillator signal through the divide-by-2 circuit, and the 4-phase local oscillator signal is sent to different paths. However, this method has two main disadvantages. On the one hand, the 4-phase local oscillator signal distribution network will occupy a large amount of chip area, and on the other hand, the local oscillator signal routing will be very long, which will also reduce the image suppression performance.

[0040] Further, to solve the above uncertainty problem, in other examples, the method adopted is: use a divide-by-2 circuit for each channel, and send the 2-phase signal to each divide-by-2 circuit to reduce the consumption of chip area and improve the image suppression performance. However, due to the phase uncertainty of the divide-by-2 circuit, these divide-by-2 circuits cannot be turned off once turned on, otherwise reopening will cause phase uncertainty between them, which will cause the overall power consumption to become relatively large.

[0041] Therefore, in order to solve at least one of the above problems and one or more of other potential problems, the exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure proposes a self-calibration local oscillator signal generating device; the following is a detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0042] Figure 2A diagram showing a self - calibrating local oscillator signal generating device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. It should be understood that in an actual circuit, the general input is a differential signal and the output is a 4 - phase quadrature local oscillator signal. The illustrated embodiments are presented in a single - phase form for convenience of illustration. In this illustrated embodiment, it is a self - calibrating local oscillator signal generating device. Structurally, the local oscillator signal generating device includes: a first signal generating module, a second signal generating module, and a first phase detection and adjustment module; among them, at the top of the illustrated embodiment is the first signal generating module, which serves as a divide - by - 2 frequency divider (which can be referred to as a divide - by - 2 circuit in some embodiments). This first signal generating module receives an input from clk_in and inputs a reference signal from its clk terminal. It should be understood that this reference signal is generally a voltage - controlled oscillator signal from a VCO. After passing through this first signal generating module (divide - by - 2 frequency divider), it is transmitted from its output terminal out to clk_out0. Obviously, as shown in the figure, in order for this first signal generating module to work properly, there is a necessary mc port. For example, it can be connected to vss. For example, the mc port can be connected to a low level to make the first signal generating module work properly. Further, in this illustrated embodiment, the second signal generating module is in the middle part of the illustration and can be a divide - by - 2 / 3 frequency divider. This divide - by - 2 / 3 frequency divider works in the divide - by - 2 frequency divider mode state most of the time. Of course, it can also be switched to the divide - by - 3 frequency divider mode state according to the control of the first phase detection and adjustment module at the bottom of the illustration. Obviously, according to Figure 2As shown, the second signal generation module (excluding the 2 / 3 frequency divider) also receives the input from clk_in, and the reference signal is input from its clk terminal. It should be understood that this reference signal is generally also the voltage-controlled oscillator signal from the VCO. After passing through this second signal generation module (excluding the 2 / 3 frequency divider), it is transmitted from its output terminal out to clk_out1. Further, the first phase detection and adjustment module at the bottom obtains the input from the above two output terminals (clk_out0 and clk_out1), and can perform phase detection on these two inputs, and use the detection result as the output of its out terminal, and feedback it to the mc terminal of the second signal generation module to control and adjust the second signal generation module to switch from the divide-by-2 frequency divider mode to the divide-by-3 frequency divider mode and then switch back to the divide-by-2 frequency divider mode. Further, according to the structural mode shown in the above figure, this local oscillator signal generating device is provided with a reference state and a working state. Thus, in the reference state, the first signal generation module is set to output the first local oscillator reference signal, and the second signal generation module is set to output the second local oscillator reference signal. The first phase detection and adjustment module can detect and record the phase difference between the second local oscillator reference signal and the first local oscillator reference signal, which serves as the reference point of the entire device. Then, after this local oscillator signal generating device is restarted (after restart), when the local oscillator signal generating device is in the working state, the first signal generation module is set to output the first local oscillator working signal, and the second signal generation module is set to output the second local oscillator working signal. At this time, due to the phase uncertainty after power-on reset, the first phase detection and adjustment module is set to detect the phase difference between the second local oscillator working signal and the first local oscillator working signal. When it is detected that the phase difference between the second local oscillator working signal and the first local oscillator working signal is different from the phase difference between the second local oscillator reference signal and the first local oscillator reference signal recorded in the reference state, the first phase detection and adjustment module adjusts the second local oscillator working signal by sending a control and adjustment instruction to the second signal generation module (for example, sending an instruction from its out terminal to the mc terminal of the second signal generation module) so that the phase difference between the second local oscillator working signal and the first local oscillator working signal is equal to the phase difference between the second local oscillator reference signal and the first local oscillator reference signal. Thus, after power-on reset, the phase difference between the signal output by the second signal generation module and the signal output by the first signal generation module is continuously maintained unchanged.

[0043] Further, in Figure 2 the exemplary embodiment, how the self-calibrating local oscillator signal generating device specifically operates will be further explained below with reference to the timing diagram.

[0044] Figure 3 shows a timing diagram of a self-calibrating local oscillator signal generating device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. In Figure 3In this case, the phase synchronization of the two output signals is achieved by detecting the phases of the output signals of the first signal generation module (e.g., a divide-by-2 frequency divider) and the second signal generation module (e.g., a divide-by-2 / 3 frequency divider). Refer to Figure 2 In the exemplary embodiment, one first signal generation module (e.g., a divide-by-2 frequency divider) and one second signal generation module (e.g., a divide-by-2 / 3 frequency divider) can be used. When the input to the mc terminal of the second signal generation module (divide-by-2 / 3 frequency divider) is 0, the second signal generation module implements the divide-by-2 function. When the input to the mc terminal is switched to 1, the second signal generation module implements the divide-by-3 function (or has a functional mode with a delayed phase, e.g., a function of delaying half a cycle in the divide-by-2 function, e.g., as shown in the dotted area in the figure). The phase detection circuit (e.g., the first phase detection and adjustment module) is used to judge the two outputs. If the two phases are the same, 0 is output; otherwise, 1 is output. Refer to Figure 3 , which is Figure 2 the timing diagram of the exemplary self-calibrating local oscillator signal generating device. Initially, both the first signal generation module (e.g., a divide-by-2 frequency divider) and the second signal generation module (e.g., a divide-by-2 / 3 frequency divider) perform the divide-by-2 operation. If the two output phases are different, the output of the first phase detection and adjustment module is 1, and the second signal generation module (e.g., a divide-by-2 / 3 frequency divider) performs a divide-by-3 operation once with respect to the reference signal clk_in shown in the uppermost row of the figure as the input. When the divide-by-3 operation is completed, the two output phases will become the same, and the output of the first phase detection and adjustment module will become 0. At this time, the second signal generation module (e.g., a divide-by-2 / 3 frequency divider) will perform the divide-by-2 operation continuously since then, and the phase synchronization is completed. It should be understood that in Figure 2 the exemplary embodiment, the upper first signal generation module (e.g., a divide-by-2 frequency divider) can also be replaced by a divide-by-2 / 3 frequency divider; that is, as long as it includes the divide-by-2 function. In addition, in some other embodiments, the above-mentioned second signal generation module may not be a divide-by-2 / 3 frequency divider. Taking the divide-by-2 / 3 frequency divider as an example is just for the convenience of explaining its principle. It should be understood that the second signal generation module can also be a divide-by-2 frequency divider with a pulse swallowing function. When it works, it will swallow an input pulse in a certain beat, which is manifested as a divide-by-3 frequency divider, but it can be a divide-by-3 frequency divider that cannot achieve continuous divide-by-3 function.

[0045] Figure 4Shows a circuit diagram of a second signal generation module according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. In this exemplary embodiment, a circuit unit with a divide-by-2 delay function is shown, where clk is the input clock (for example, a signal from a voltage-controlled oscillator of a VCO), out is the output signal, and mc is the mode control signal; when mc is 0, the circuit implements the divide-by-2 function, and the frequency of the output signal at out is half of the input clock clk; when mc is 1, the circuit holds the output at 1 (or holds the high level, for example, behaves as a divide-by-3 function relative to the input clock clk). Therefore, in the illustrated embodiment, it is not an absolute divide-by-2 / 3 circuit. The pulse width (high level) of mc determines how many input pulses will be swallowed. Only after mc returns to 0 will the circuit output at out flip. If the pulse width of the mc signal is one period of an input signal, then the circuit output will behave as divide-by-3. If the pulse width of the mc signal is N periods of an input signal, then the circuit output will behave as divide-by-N+2. It should be understood that in some other embodiments, when mc is 1, the output may either hold at 1 or hold at 0, which is related to the specific circuit implementation; of course, for Figure 4 the circuit output shown does indeed hold at 1. In some other embodiments, if the Figure 4 OR gate in the embodiment is replaced with an AND gate, then when mc is 1, the circuit implements the divide-by-2 function, and when mc is 0, the output will hold at 0.

[0046] Figure 5 Shows a circuit diagram of a first phase detection and adjustment module according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. In this exemplary embodiment, a circuit unit with a phase detection function (XNOR gate) is shown, where in1 and in2 are two clock inputs, out is the output of this phase detection and adjustment module, pd_en is the output enable signal, and clk is the synchronous clock; when pd_en is 0, out is 0; when pd_en is 1, if in1 and in2 are in phase, then out outputs 1, otherwise it outputs 0.

[0047] Furthermore, in some embodiments, the first signal generation module is configured to generate and output a first local oscillator reference signal or a first local oscillator operating signal based on a first reference signal (for example, Figure 2 a branch of clk_in in the exemplary embodiment leading to the upper first signal generation module) (for example, Figure 2 the output of clk_out0 in the exemplary embodiment); the second signal generation module is configured to generate and output a second local oscillator reference signal or a second local oscillator operating signal based on a second reference signal (for example, Figure 2 a branch of clk_in in the exemplary embodiment leading to the middle second signal generation module) (for example, Figure 2 the output of clk_out1 in the exemplary embodiment).

[0048] Further, in some embodiments, such as Figure 2 In the exemplary embodiment, the first signal generation module is configured as a divide-by-2 frequency divider, and the divide-by-2 frequency divider is used to divide the frequency of the first reference signal by 2, so that the frequency of the output first local oscillator reference signal or the first local oscillator working signal is one-half of the frequency of the first reference signal. Further, the second signal generation module is configured as a divide-by-2 with delay frequency divider, and the divide-by-2 with delay frequency divider may include a divide-by-2 frequency division mode and a delay frequency division mode. When the divide-by-2 with delay frequency divider is in the divide-by-2 frequency division mode, the divide-by-2 with delay frequency divider is used to divide the frequency of the second reference signal by 2, so that the frequency of the output second local oscillator reference signal or the second local oscillator working signal is one-half of the frequency of the second reference signal; when the divide-by-2 with delay frequency divider is in the delay frequency division mode, the divide-by-2 with delay frequency divider is configured to maintain the signal waveform output state of the signal output at this moment until the divide-by-2 with delay frequency divider switches back to the divide-by-2 frequency division mode and continues to output signals in the divide-by-2 frequency division mode, as Figure 3 shown in the timing diagram.

[0049] It should be noted that, in some embodiments, such as Figure 3 shown in the timing diagram, when it is detected that the phase difference between the second local oscillator working signal and the first local oscillator working signal is different from the phase difference between the second local oscillator reference signal and the first local oscillator reference signal (for example, Figure 3 when there is a phase difference, it is 180 degrees, and when there is no phase difference, it is 0 degrees), the divide-by-2 with delay frequency divider is configured to be in the delay frequency division mode (for example, the divide-by-3 mode shown in the figure) and hold the waveform of the second local oscillator working signal for half a cycle, so that the phase of the second local oscillator working signal is delayed by 180 degrees (i.e., the waveform is inverted).

[0050] Even further, in some embodiments, such as Figure 3As shown in the timing diagram, the divide-by-2 delay frequency divider is set to include a divide-by-2 / 3 frequency divider, and the divide-by-2 / 3 frequency divider is set to: when the divide-by-2 / 3 frequency divider is in the delay frequency division mode (divide-by-3 mode), the divide-by-2 / 3 frequency divider divides the frequency of the second reference signal by 3, so that the frequency of the output second local oscillator operating signal is one-third of the frequency of the second reference signal. It should be understood that in the reference mode, the divide-by-2 delay frequency divider should only be in the (divide-by-2 mode), which is to collect the phase difference with the first signal generation module (divide-by-2 frequency divider); and only when entering the working state, is it necessary to adjust the second local oscillator operating signal in the working state. It should also be understood that since the phase of the first local oscillator operating signal and the first local oscillator reference signal may actually differ by 180 degrees after each power-on restart, the self-calibrating local oscillator signal generating device in the above embodiment is called self-calibrating because this calibration or adjustment process is not static and one-time, but is to be carried out after each power-on restart.

[0051] Further, from the perspective of the layout, there must be a certain physical distance between the multi-channel transceivers, so the physical delays experienced by the two inputs of the phase detection module will be different, that is, it is manifested as different physical distances from the first signal generation module and the second signal generation module to the first phase detection and adjustment module, resulting in different delays of the input signals. Generally, the phase detection module can be placed in the middle of the two local oscillator signal generation modules, so that the signals output from the two local oscillator signal generation modules to the phase detection module experience the same physical delay, thus avoiding misjudgment caused by delay. However, the phase detection module will output a control signal mc to the second signal generation module, and this mc signal will also experience a certain physical delay. If the delay is too large, it will cause the synchronization failure of the two local oscillator signals. For this reason, generally, the phase detection module is placed closer to the second signal generation module to reduce the delay of mc. And at the same time, a timing control module (for example, the first timing adjustment module) is introduced to control the timing of the signal output by the first signal generation module to avoid generating metastable states.

[0052] Figure 6 A diagram showing another self-calibrating local oscillator signal generating device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. In this exemplary embodiment, the local oscillator signal generating device further includes a first timing adjustment module in the middle part of the diagram. The first timing adjustment module is set to generate a signal from the first signal generation module at the rightmost end based on a second reference signal (for example, a pair of differential signals vcop and vcon shown in the figure (for example, generated by a VCO voltage controlled oscillator)) and transmit the adjusted first local oscillator reference signal or the adjusted first local oscillator operating adjustment signal to the first phase detection and adjustment module at the lower left part (through the out terminal of the first timing adjustment module), and receive it at the in2 terminal of the first phase detection and adjustment module.

[0053] Further, in some embodiments, when the first timing adjustment module detects that the rising edge or falling edge of the signal from the first signal generation module coincides with the rising edge or falling edge of the second reference signal, the phase of the above signal is adjusted so that the rising edge or falling edge of the above signal no longer coincides with the rising edge or falling edge of the second reference signal, and the above signal is transmitted to the above first phase detection and adjustment module. Specifically, in some embodiments, when the first timing adjustment module detects that the rising edge or falling edge of the signal from the first signal generation module coincides with the rising edge or falling edge of the second reference signal, the phase of the above signal is adjusted to be delayed by 2 delay cycles (or, for example, it can be 1 delay cycle), and the above delay cycle is determined by the delay unit. It should be understood that here are 2 delay cycles of the timing adjustment module, and 2 delay cycles are adjusted to meet the requirements of setup time and hold time. As for how much a specific 1 delay cycle is, in some embodiments, for example, an internal delay unit can be used for adjustment. For example, 1 delay cycle is the time delay of one stage of the delay unit. Adjusting backward by 2 delay cycles means adding two stages of delay units, and adjusting forward by 2 delay cycles means subtracting two stages of delay units. Specifically, the timing diagram of its adjustment process is as Figure 7 shown in

[0054] Alternatively, in some embodiments, the first phase detection and adjustment module further includes an enable signal input terminal. When the above first phase detection and adjustment module detects that the enable signal is input from the above enable signal input terminal, the above first phase detection and adjustment module is set to detect the phase difference between the signal from the above first signal generation module and the signal from the above second signal generation module. It should be understood that the enable signal is equivalent to the working switch of the first phase detection and adjustment module. Therefore, the enable signal may not be set, and the first phase detection and adjustment module may always be in the working state of detection and adjustment.

[0055] Preferably, in some embodiments, the above first phase detection and adjustment module is set to start detecting the phase difference between the signal from the above first signal generation module and the signal from the above second signal generation module during the rising edge stage of the above second reference signal.

[0056] Further, in some embodiments, if the phase difference between the signal from the first timing adjustment module and the signal from the second signal generation module in the reference mode is 0 degrees, then in the working state, when the first phase detection and adjustment module detects that the phase difference between the signal from the first timing adjustment module and the signal from the second signal generation module is 180 degrees, the first phase detection and adjustment module adjusts the second signal generation module so that the phase difference between the signal from the second signal generation module and the signal from the first timing adjustment module is 0 degrees.

[0057] More specifically, in some embodiments, when the first signal generation module is set as a divide-by-2 frequency divider and the second signal generation module is set as a divide-by-2 frequency divider with delay; and the phase difference between the signal from the first timing adjustment module and the signal from the second signal generation module in the reference mode is set to 0 degrees; then in the working state, when the first phase detection and adjustment module detects a phase difference of 180 degrees between the signal from the first timing adjustment module and the signal from the second signal generation module at the rising edge stage of the second reference signal, the second signal generation module is set to switch from the divide-by-2 frequency division mode to the delayed frequency division mode (e.g., divide-by-3 mode); when the first phase detection and adjustment module detects a phase difference of 0 degrees between the signal from the first timing adjustment module and the signal from the second signal generation module at the rising edge stage of the second reference signal, the second signal generation module switches from the delayed frequency division mode to the divide-by-2 frequency division mode. Thus, a complete detection requires calibration, from the beginning to the completion of calibration.

[0058] It should be understood that the above mainly discusses the case of two signal generation modules. Then, in some embodiments, more modules may be included. For example, the self-calibrating local oscillator signal generating device may further include an Nth signal generation module, which is set to output an Nth local oscillator reference signal in the reference state and an Nth local oscillator working signal in the working state; an (N + 1)th signal generation module, which is set to output an (N + 1)th local oscillator reference signal in the reference state and an (N + 1)th local oscillator working signal in the working state; an Nth phase detection and adjustment module, which is set to adjust the (N + 1)th local oscillator working signal when detecting that the phase difference between the (N + 1)th local oscillator working signal and the Nth local oscillator working signal is different from the phase difference between the (N + 1)th local oscillator reference signal and the Nth local oscillator reference signal, so that the phase difference between the (N + 1)th local oscillator working signal and the Nth local oscillator working signal is equal to the phase difference between the (N + 1)th local oscillator reference signal and the Nth local oscillator reference signal; the Nth signal generation module is set to generate and output the Nth local oscillator reference signal or the Nth local oscillator working signal based on the Nth reference signal; the (N + 1)th signal generation module is set to generate and output the (N + 1)th local oscillator reference signal or the (N + 1)th local oscillator working signal based on the (N + 1)th reference signal; an Nth timing adjustment module, which is set to generate the signal from the Nth signal generation module based on the (N + 1)th reference signal and transmit the Nth local oscillator reference adjustment signal or the Nth local oscillator working adjustment signal to the Nth phase detection and adjustment module; where N is a positive integer greater than 1; as Figure 8 shown in the embodiment.

[0059] Furthermore, for the second signal generation module, the inventors of the present disclosure specifically designed an implementable circuit structure, as Figure 9 shown. In Figure 9In an exemplary embodiment, the circuit structure is a quadrature 4-phase output divide-by-2 delay frequency divider, which can also be considered as Figure 4 another implementation of the embodiment; specifically, near the input of the front end in Figure 4 , in addition to an OR gate, an AND gate can also be used, and Figure 9 the circuit of the embodiment is quadrature 4-phase output and can directly provide a local oscillator signal to the mixer of a receiver or a transmitter. In Figure 9 the embodiment, the OR gate in Figure 4 (which is an AND gate in the figure, and of course, a scheme for forming an OR gate is also possible) is incorporated into the subsequent DFF, thereby further simplifying the circuit; more specifically, several transistors with the input of the gate terminal being!mc.

[0060] Furthermore, for the above-mentioned self-calibrating local oscillator signal generating device, the inventors of the present disclosure also proposed a corresponding calibration method. Figure 10 FIG. shows a flowchart of a calibration method for a self-calibrating local oscillator signal generating device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. The calibration method 100 includes: step 120, receiving the first local oscillator reference signal and the second local oscillator reference signal based on the above-mentioned calibration state; step 140, receiving the first local oscillator working signal and the second local oscillator working signal based on the above-mentioned working state; step 160, when, in the above-mentioned working state, it is detected that the phase difference between the second local oscillator working signal and the first local oscillator working signal is different from the phase difference between the second local oscillator reference signal and the first local oscillator reference signal, adjusting the second local oscillator working signal so that the phase difference between the second local oscillator working signal and the first local oscillator working signal is equal to the phase difference between the second local oscillator reference signal and the first local oscillator reference signal.

[0061] The above has described the embodiments of the present disclosure. The above description is exemplary, not exhaustive, and is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. Many modifications and variations are obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art in the technical field without departing from the scope and spirit of the described embodiments. The selection of the terms used herein is intended to best explain the principles of the embodiments, practical applications, or improvements to the technology in the market, or to enable other ordinary skill in the art in the technical field to understand the disclosed embodiments.

[0062] The above are only optional embodiments of the present disclosure and are not used to limit the present disclosure. For those skilled in the art, the present disclosure can have various changes and modifications. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present disclosure shall be included within the protection scope of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A self-calibration local oscillator signal generating device, characterized in that: The local oscillator signal generating device is provided with a reference state and a working state, and the local oscillator signal generating device comprises: a first signal generating module, configured to output a first local oscillator reference signal in the reference state, and to output a first local oscillator working signal in the working state; the first signal generating module is configured to generate and output the first local oscillator reference signal or the first local oscillator working signal based on a first reference signal; a second signal generating module, configured to output a second local oscillator reference signal in the reference state, and to output a second local oscillator working signal in the working state; the second signal generating module is configured to generate and output the second local oscillator reference signal or the second local oscillator working signal based on a second reference signal; a first phase detection and adjustment module, configured to detect a phase difference between the second local oscillator reference signal and the first local oscillator reference signal, or detect a phase difference between the second local oscillator working signal and the first local oscillator working signal through a first timing adjustment module, and when detecting that the phase difference between the second local oscillator working signal and the first local oscillator working signal is different from the phase difference between the second local oscillator reference signal and the first local oscillator reference signal, adjust the second local oscillator working signal so that the phase difference between the second local oscillator working signal and the first local oscillator working signal is equal to the phase difference between the second local oscillator reference signal and the first local oscillator reference signal; The first timing adjustment module is configured to generate a signal from the first signal generation module based on the second reference signal and transmit an adjusted first local oscillator reference signal or an adjusted first local oscillator working signal to the first phase detection and adjustment module; The first signal generating module is configured as a divide-by-2 frequency divider, and the divide-by-2 frequency divider is used to divide the frequency of the first reference signal by 2, so that the frequency of the output first local oscillator reference signal or the first local oscillator working signal is half of the frequency of the first reference signal; The second signal generating module is configured as a divide-by-2 delay frequency divider, and the divide-by-2 delay frequency divider includes a divide-by-2 frequency divider mode and a delay frequency divider mode. In the divide-by-2 frequency divider mode, the divide-by-2 delay frequency divider is used to divide the frequency of the second reference signal by 2, so that the frequency of the output second local oscillator reference signal or the second local oscillator working signal is half of the frequency of the second reference signal; in the delay frequency divider mode, the divide-by-2 delay frequency divider is configured to maintain the signal waveform output state of the signal output at the current moment until the divide-by-2 delay frequency divider switches back to the divide-by-2 frequency divider mode and continues to output the signal in the divide-by-2 frequency divider mode.

2. The self-calibration local oscillator signal generating device according to claim 1, characterized in that: When it is detected that the phase difference between the second local oscillator working signal and the first local oscillator working signal is different from the phase difference between the second local oscillator reference signal and the first local oscillator reference signal, the 2-band delay divider is set to a delayed division mode and the waveform of the second local oscillator working signal is maintained for half a cycle, so that the phase of the second local oscillator working signal is delayed by 180 degrees.

3. The self-calibration local oscillator signal generating device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The divide-by-2 band delay divider is configured to include a divide-by-2 / 3 divider, the divide-by-2 / 3 divider being configured to: When the 2 / 3 divider is in the delayed frequency division mode, the 2 / 3 divider divides the frequency of the second reference signal by 3, so that the frequency of the output second local oscillator reference signal or the second local oscillator working signal is one third of the frequency of the second reference signal.

4. The self-calibration local oscillator signal generating device according to claim 1, characterized in that: When the first timing adjustment module detects that the rising edge or falling edge of the signal from the first signal generating module coincides with the rising edge or falling edge of the second reference signal, the phase of the signal is adjusted so that the rising edge or falling edge of the signal no longer coincides with the rising edge or falling edge of the second reference signal, and the signal is transmitted to the first phase detection and adjustment module.

5. The self-calibration local oscillator signal generating device according to claim 4, characterized in that: When the first timing adjustment module detects that the rising edge or falling edge of the signal from the first signal generating module coincides with the rising edge or falling edge of the second reference signal, the phase of the signal is adjusted to be delayed by 2 delay periods, and the delay period is determined by the delay unit.

6. The self-calibration local oscillator signal generating device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first phase detection and adjustment module also includes an enable signal input terminal. When the first phase detection and adjustment module detects that an enable signal is input from the enable signal input terminal, the first phase detection and adjustment module is configured to detect the phase difference between the signal from the first timing adjustment module and the signal from the second signal generation module.

7. The self-calibration local oscillator signal generating device according to claim 4, characterized in that: The first phase detection and adjustment module is configured to start outputting a phase difference between a signal from the first signal generation module and a signal from the second signal generation module at a rising edge stage of the second reference signal.

8. The self-calibration local oscillator signal generating device according to claim 1, characterized in that: When the first phase detection and adjustment module detects that the phase difference between the signal from the first timing adjustment module and the signal from the second signal generating module is 180 degrees, the first phase detection and adjustment module adjusts the second signal generating module so that the phase difference between the signal from the second signal generating module and the signal from the first timing adjustment module is 0 degrees.

9. The self-calibration local oscillator signal generating device according to claim 5, characterized in that: When the first signal generating module is configured as the divide-by-2 frequency divider, and the second signal generating module is configured as the divide-by-2 frequency divider with delay; and When the first phase detection and adjustment module detects that the phase difference between the signal from the first timing adjustment module and the signal from the second signal generation module is 180 degrees at the rising edge stage of the second reference signal, the second signal generation module is configured to switch from the divide-by-2 frequency division mode to the delayed frequency division mode; When the first phase detection and adjustment module detects that the phase difference between the signal from the first timing adjustment module and the signal from the second signal generation module is 0 degree at the rising edge stage of the second reference signal, the second signal generation module switches from the delayed division mode to the division by 2 mode.

10. The self-calibration local oscillator signal generating device according to claim 1, characterized in that: Also includes: an Nth signal generating module, configured to output an Nth local oscillator reference signal in the reference state, and to output an Nth local oscillator working signal in the working state; an N+1th signal generating module, configured to output an N+1th local oscillator reference signal in the reference state, and to output an N+1th local oscillator working signal in the working state; an Nth phase detection and adjustment module, configured to adjust the N+1th local oscillator working signal so that the phase difference between the N+1th local oscillator working signal and the Nth local oscillator working signal is equal to the phase difference between the N+1th local oscillator reference signal and the Nth local oscillator reference signal when detecting that the phase difference between the N+1th local oscillator working signal and the Nth local oscillator working signal is different from the phase difference between the N+1th local oscillator reference signal and the Nth local oscillator reference signal; The Nth signal generating module is configured to generate and output the Nth local oscillator reference signal or the Nth local oscillator working signal based on the Nth reference signal; The N+1th signal generating module is configured to generate and output the N+1th local oscillator reference signal or the N+1th local oscillator working signal based on the N+1th reference signal; The Nth timing adjustment module is configured to generate a signal from the Nth signal generation module based on the N+1th reference signal and transmit an adjusted Nth local oscillator reference signal or an adjusted Nth local oscillator working signal to the Nth phase detection and adjustment module; wherein N is a positive integer greater than 1.

11. A calibration method for a self-calibration local oscillator signal generating device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that: include: receiving the first local oscillator reference signal and the second local oscillator reference signal based on the reference state; receiving the first local oscillator working signal and the second local oscillator working signal based on the working state; In the working state, when it is detected that the phase difference between the second local oscillator working signal and the first local oscillator working signal is different from the phase difference between the second local oscillator reference signal and the first local oscillator reference signal, the second local oscillator working signal is adjusted so that the phase difference between the second local oscillator working signal and the first local oscillator working signal is equal to the phase difference between the second local oscillator reference signal and the first local oscillator reference signal.

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