RF-PWM Modulator Phase Delay Measurement Using BPS Signals
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Direct measurement of phase delay in RF-PWM modulators is challenging due to internal components' inaccessible terminals, leading to difficulties in compensating for non-ideal digital and analog effects, which affect the quality of the output signal.
Innovation Solution
An indirect method involving the generation of Binary Phase Shift (BPS) signals and a delay measurement system with edge counting or measuring circuits to determine phase delay by logically ANDing outputs from phase modulators and adjusting phase offsets until the desired edge count or metric is achieved.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If direct measurement of phase delay is attempted in RF-PWM modulators, then measurement precision may be improved, but device complexity and difficulty of detecting and measuring increase due to inaccessible internal terminals
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary measurement approach by using the output signal of the RF-PWM modulator as a mediator to indirectly determine the phase delay. Instead of directly accessing internal nodes, the method uses the observable output signal characteristics (edge positions within carrier periods) to infer the phase delay parameter, thus resolving the contradiction between measurement precision and accessibility.
2Measurement precision
If internal nodes are made accessible for direct measurement, then measurement precision improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the essential measurement information from the output signal without requiring access to internal nodes. By taking out only the necessary observable characteristics (edge positions, carrier period relationships) from the complex internal system, the method achieves accurate phase delay measurement while avoiding the complexity of internal node access.
3Reliability
If non-ideal digital and analog effects are compensated, then output signal quality improves, but measurement and compensation complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback-based compensation method where the measured phase delay information is used to adjust and compensate for non-ideal effects in the RF-PWM modulator. By continuously measuring the actual phase delay from output signal characteristics and using this information to correct the modulation process, the system improves output signal quality while maintaining manageable complexity through iterative refinement.
Data Source
AI summary
A delay measurement system to measure a phase delay of a Radio Frequency-Pulse Width Modulated (RF-PWM) signal introduced in a Radio Frequency-Pulse Width Modulator, wherein the RF-PWM signal comprises a sampling frequency and at least one carrier period, and wherein the RF-PWM signal has a symbol in the at least one carrier period. The delay measurement system comprises a first phase modulator circuit configured to generate a first Binary Phase Shifted (BPS) signal having a first period and a second period based upon the RF-PWM signal, wherein the first period of the BPS signal has the symbol therein and the second period of the BPS signal has a 180 degree inverted version of the symbol. The delay measurement system further comprises a second phase modulator circuit configured to generate a second Binary Phase Shifted (BPS) signal having a first period and a second period, wherein the first period of the BPS signal has the symbol therein and the second period of the BPS signal has a 180 degree inverted version of the symbol. Further, the delay measurement system comprises a detector circuit configured to determine the phase delay of the RF-PWM signal based on the first BPS signal or the second BPS signal and output the phase delay.