Local Oscillator Phase Correction for Power-Cycled Frequency Conversion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Wireless devices face challenges in maintaining continuous phase of local oscillator (LO) signals due to periodic powering on and off, leading to phase discontinuity, which affects frequency conversion and battery life.
Innovation Solution
A wireless device is equipped with a phase detector and phase corrector, utilizing a single-tone generator to detect and correct phase discontinuity in the LO signal by swapping or rotating in-phase and quadrature signals, allowing the LO generator to be powered on and off while maintaining continuous phase.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If the LO generator is periodically powered on and off to conserve battery power, then energy consumption is reduced, but phase discontinuity occurs in the LO signal
Solution Approach 1:
The phase detector detects the phase of the LO signal before the LO generator is powered off, and the phase corrector pre-corrects the phase discontinuity that will occur upon power cycling. This preliminary detection and correction enables the LO generator to be turned off and on without causing phase discontinuity in the transmitted signal.
Solution Approach 2:
The phase detector continuously monitors the phase of the LO signal and provides feedback to the phase corrector. The phase corrector uses this feedback information to adjust and correct the phase discontinuity, ensuring continuous phase operation even when the LO generator is periodically powered on and off for battery conservation.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the LO generator is kept continuously powered on to maintain continuous phase, then phase continuity is maintained, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses the LO signal itself to detect its own phase discontinuity. The phase detector samples the LO signal, detects phase changes, and the phase corrector automatically corrects the detected phase discontinuity. This self-service mechanism enables continuous phase operation without requiring continuous power to the LO generator.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the operational parameters of the LO generator by allowing it to be powered on and off, while using phase detection and correction techniques to maintain the appearance of continuous phase operation. This parameter change enables energy savings without sacrificing phase continuity.
3Use of energy by moving object
If phase discontinuity occurs in the LO signal, then battery power is conserved by turning off the LO generator, but frequency conversion accuracy deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The phase detector and phase corrector act as intermediaries between the LO generator and the frequency conversion process. The phase detector detects phase discontinuities, and the phase corrector corrects them before the LO signal is used for frequency conversion, ensuring accurate frequency conversion even when the LO generator is periodically powered on and off.
Data Source
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AI summary
Techniques for detecting and correcting phase discontinuity of a local oscillator (LO) signal are disclosed. A wireless device may include an LO generator and a phase detector. The LO generator generates an LO signal used for frequency conversion and is periodically powered on and off. The phase detector detects the phase of the LO signal when the LO generator is powered on. The detected phase of the LO signal is used to identify phase discontinuity of the LO signal. The wireless device may include (i) a single-tone generator that generates a single-tone signal used to detect the phase of the LO signal, (ii) a downconverter that downconverts the single-tone signal with the LO signal and provides a downconverted signal used by the phase detector to detect the phase of LO signal, and (iii) phase corrector that corrects phase discontinuity of the LO signal in the analog domain or digital domain.