Multiband Millimeter-Wave Receiver Using 2/3 LO Frequency Conversion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Multiband receivers for millimeter wave devices face challenges with high power consumption and large size, particularly in applications like vehicular radar and 5G telecommunication devices, due to the need for high-frequency local oscillator signals that cause power consumption and signal crosstalk issues.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates a first band path with a passive mixer driven by a local oscillator signal at two-thirds of the input frequency, producing an intermediate signal at one-third of the input frequency, and a base band path that alternates between two different intermediate signals, each driven by a local oscillator signal at one-third of its respective frequency, reducing power consumption and size.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a differential passive mixer is driven by a high-frequency local oscillator signal (e.g., 28 GHz or 56 GHz), then the receiver can process the desired RF signal band, but power consumption increases and signal crosstalk occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The receiver is divided into multiple band paths (first band path for 28 GHz, second band path for 39 GHz), with each path having its own passive mixer driven by appropriately scaled local oscillator signals. This segmentation allows each mixer to operate at optimized frequency levels rather than requiring all mixers to handle the full RF frequency, reducing overall power consumption while maintaining signal processing capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The local oscillator signal frequency is changed from the traditional 1:1 ratio with RF signal to a 2:3 ratio (LO frequency = 2/3 × RF frequency). For example, a 28 GHz RF signal is mixed with a 18.67 GHz (2/3 of 28) local oscillator signal, producing an intermediate frequency of 9.33 GHz (1/3 of 28). This parameter change reduces the LO frequency requirement, thereby reducing power consumption and avoiding signal crosstalk issues associated with high-frequency LO distribution.
2Adaptability or versatility
If high-frequency local oscillator signals are distributed to multiple mixers, then multiband reception is enabled, but signal crosstalk and transmission errors increase
Solution Approach 1:
The multiband receiver is segmented into separate band paths, each with dedicated mixers and local oscillator circuits. The first band path handles 28 GHz signals with its own mixer and LO, while the second band path handles 39 GHz signals with its own mixer and LO. This segmentation eliminates the need to distribute a single high-frequency LO signal across multiple mixers, thereby preventing signal crosstalk and transmission errors while maintaining multiband capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces intermediate frequency conversion as a mediator between the RF input and baseband output. By converting RF signals to intermediate frequencies (1/3 of the original RF frequency) before further processing, the system avoids the need to distribute high-frequency LO signals across multiple stages, reducing signal crosstalk and improving transmission accuracy.
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
This approach results in multiband receiver circuits with reduced size and power consumption, addressing the limitations of existing multiband receivers by optimizing the frequency division and local oscillator usage.
Implementation Method 1
a first passive mixer configured to receive a first input radio frequency (RF) signal having a first frequency, wherein the first passive mixer is driven by a first local oscillator signal having a frequency about two-thirds of the first frequency, and is configured to provide a first intermediate RF signal having a frequency about one-third of the first frequency
Data Source
AI summary
We disclose multiband receivers for millimeter-wave devices, which may have reduced size and/or reduced power consumption. One multiband receiver comprises a first band path comprising a first passive mixer configured to receive a first input RF signal having a first frequency and to be driven by a first local oscillator signal having a frequency about ⅔ the first frequency; a second band path comprising a second passive mixer configured to receive a second input RF signal having a second frequency and to be driven by a second local oscillator signal having a frequency about ⅔ the second frequency; and a base band path comprising a third passive mixer configured to receive intermediate RF signals during a duty cycle and to be driven by a third local oscillator signal having a frequency about ⅓ the first frequency or about ⅓ the second frequency during the duty cycle.