Analog Baseband Receiver Without RF Front-End Components
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional electric-field communication systems face issues with high power consumption, complex installation, noise vulnerability, and limited flexibility due to the requirement of specific components and bandwidths for RF and analog baseband signal processing, which affects their performance in both contact and non-contact environments.
Innovation Solution
A receiving apparatus with an electrode for electric-field signals, low noise amplifiers, programmable gain amplifiers, channel selection filters, comparators, oversamplers, and demodulators, which allows for wide input dynamic range and improved receive sensitivity by enabling the reception of various baseband modulation schemes and reducing interference through careful component placement and clock signal management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If RF receiving apparatus uses LO, PLL and quadrature mixers for processing RF carrier signal, then RF signal reception capability is improved, but power consumption and device complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes the RF carrier processing components (LO, PLL, quadrature mixers) from the receiving apparatus, keeping only the essential baseband processing components. This eliminates unnecessary complexity while maintaining the core functionality of receiving and processing baseband signals directly.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of the conventional approach of receiving RF signals and then demodulating them through complex RF processing, the patent inverts the approach by directly receiving baseband signals without RF carrier modulation. This fundamental reversal eliminates the need for RF-specific components.
2Reliability
If broadband pulse signal receiving apparatus uses bandwidth of 100 MHz or more, then signal reception capability is improved, but noise vulnerability and interference from other signals increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a programmable gain amplifier with adjustable gain and a channel selection filter that can be dynamically configured based on the specific reception requirements. This dynamic adjustment allows the system to optimize the bandwidth and gain settings for each communication scenario, reducing noise and interference while maintaining reception capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the operational parameters (bandwidth, gain) based on the communication mode and environmental conditions. By adaptively adjusting these parameters, the system achieves optimal performance for different scenarios without being permanently constrained to a fixed wide bandwidth that always exposes it to noise and interference.
3Reliability
If receiving apparatus uses two electrodes for receiving differential signals, then ASK demodulation capability is improved, but installation complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs a receiving apparatus that can handle multiple modulation schemes (ASK, PSK, FSK) using a unified single-electrode architecture. The programmable gain amplifier and configurable filter allow the same hardware to perform different demodulation functions, eliminating the need for separate electrode configurations for different modulation types.
4Device complexity
If RF receiving apparatus uses direct conversion structure for LO, then device complexity is reduced, but DC offset and I/Q mismatch problems occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the LO component entirely from the system by adopting direct baseband reception without RF carrier conversion. This eliminates the source of DC offset and I/Q mismatch problems that inherently arise in direct conversion architectures, as there is no LO to generate these artifacts.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution ensures wide input dynamic range and enhanced receive sensitivity, enabling effective data communication in both contact and non-contact environments with improved noise reduction and flexibility in modem modulation schemes, thus overcoming the limitations of conventional systems.
Implementation Method 1
an electrode for receiving an electric-field signal
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a receiving apparatus for processing an analog baseband signal in an information terminal that communicates using a dielectric. The receiving apparatus includes an electrode for receiving an electric-field signal; a first gain adjuster for gain adjustment by amplifying the received signal; a channel selection filter for selecting a signal corresponding to a receive channel bandwidth from the gain-adjusted signal; a second gain adjuster for gain adjustment by amplifying the selected signal; a comparator for converting a signal output from the second gain adjuster into a digital signal; an oversampler for oversampling the digital signal at a frequency fClock higher than a receive channel frequency fSignal; a demodulator for demodulating the oversampled signal; and a clock generator for providing necessary a clock signal to the oversampler and the demodulator.