Transmitter Dead-Time Modulation for Power Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Modern wireless digital communication standards require high-resolution digital-to-analog converters (DACs) for efficient data transmission, leading to increased power consumption and implementation area, which is not optimal for emerging applications and standards.
Innovation Solution
A modulation scheme that expresses point coordinates in a two-dimensional plane as a sum of two constant amplitude phase modulated phasors (TOCAP), eliminating the need for conventional DACs by using a single tri-level digital-to-time converter (DTC) to generate a three-level modulated waveform.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If high-resolution DACs are used for efficient data transmission, then data transmission efficiency is improved, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the fundamental parameters of the modulation system by transitioning from conventional amplitude-based modulation requiring high-resolution DACs to dead-time modulation where information is encoded in the duration of zero-voltage intervals. This parameter change allows the use of simple tri-level DACs with only three voltage levels (positive, zero, negative), dramatically reducing power consumption while maintaining efficient data transmission through precise timing control of the dead-time periods.
2Productivity
If high-resolution DACs are used for efficient data transmission, then data transmission efficiency is improved, but implementation area increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent fundamentally changes the modulation approach from amplitude-based to dead-time-based modulation, allowing the use of tri-level DACs instead of high-resolution DACs. This parameter change reduces the implementation area by eliminating the need for complex high-resolution digital-to-analog conversion circuits, while maintaining data transmission efficiency through the encoding of information in the temporal duration of zero-voltage intervals rather than in amplitude levels.
3Use of energy by moving object
If conventional DACs are replaced by tri-level DACs, then power consumption is reduced, but modulation complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-calculating the dead-time durations and phase shifts required to represent each modulation symbol before the actual modulation process. The system computes the appropriate dead-time intervals in advance based on the input data, transforming the complex modulation task into a series of predetermined timing operations. This preliminary computation simplifies the real-time modulation execution, reducing the perceived complexity despite the novel dead-time encoding scheme.
4Use of energy by moving object
If conventional DACs are replaced by tri-level DACs, then power consumption is reduced, but implementation area is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the functions of multiple separate components into a unified dead-time modulation architecture. Instead of requiring independent high-resolution DAC channels for each modulation dimension, the system combines amplitude and phase information into a single tri-level DAC that outputs a unified waveform with embedded dead-time intervals. This merging of functions dramatically reduces both power consumption and implementation area by eliminating redundant circuitry while maintaining full modulation capability.
Data Source
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AI summary
A transmitter comprising a phase computation circuit configured to receive a complex baseband signal comprising an in-phase signal and a quadrature signal forming an I-Q data pair, and determine a first rotation angle and a second rotation angle based on the I-Q data pair. The transmitter further comprises a modulation circuit coupled to the phase computation circuit configured to determine a three-level modulated waveform having a lower negative level, a zero level and a higher positive level, based on the first rotation angle and the second rotation angle; and generate the three-level modulated waveform based on the determination.