Parkervision, Inc.

Parkvision, Inc.

Charley D Moses, Jr

Michael J Bultman

Richard C Looke

Robert W Cook

David F Sorrells

Gregory S Rawlins

Michael W Rawlins

Robert T Short

Martin R Johnson

Gregory S Silver

Jonathan S Jensen

Jamison L Young

Charles D Clements

Joseph M Hamilla

Francis James Smith

David F Sorrels

Danny E Stoneking

Methods, systems, and apparatuses for down-converting a modulate carrier signal to a demodulated baseband signal by sampling the energy of the carrier signal are described herein. Briefly stated, such methods systems, and apparatuses operate by receiving a modulated carrier signal and using pulses with apertures to control a switch so as to (a) transfer energy from the modulated carrier signal and accumulate the transferred energy in a capacitor when the switch is closed during the apertures of the pulses and (b) discharge some of the previously accumulated energy from the capacitor into load circuitry at least when the switch is open. The demodulated baseband signal is generated from (i) accumulating energy transferred to the capacitor each time the switch is closed during the apertures of the pulses, and (ii) discharging some of the previously accumulated energy into the load circuitry each time the switch is opened.

Methods and systems for down-converting a signal using a complementary transistor structure

Methods for down converting a modulated carrier signal to a demodulated baseband signal are described herein. The method requires that a first portion of energy is transferred from the modulated carrier signal, and stored at a first storage device when a first switch is on. At least some of the energy stored in the first storage device is discharged when the first switch is off. The method further comprises transferring a second portion of energy from the modulated carrier signal, storing at a second storage device the second portion of transferred energy when a second switch is on, and discharging at least some of the energy stored in the second storage device when the second switch is off. A down-converted in-phase baseband signal portion is generated from the energy accumulated in the first storage device while both the charging and the discharging occurs, and a down-converted inverted in-phase baseband signal portion is generated from the energy accumulated in the second storage device while both the charging and the discharging occurs, and the two portions are combined with a first differential amplifier circuit to form a down-converted differential in-phase baseband signal.

Method and system for down-converting an electromagnetic signal

Methods, systems, and apparatuses for down-converting a modulate earner signal to a demodulated baseband signal by sampling the energy of the carrier signal are described herein. Briefly stated, such methods systems, and apparatuses operate by receiving a modulated carrier signal and using pulses with apertures to control a switch so as to (a) transfer energy from the modulated carrier signal and accumulate the transferred energy in a capacitor when the switch is closed during the apertures of the pukes and (b) discharge some of the previously accumulated energy from the capacitor into load circuitry at least when the switch is open. The demodulated baseband signal is generated from (i) accumulating energy transferred to the capacitor each time the switch is closed during the apertures of the pulses, and (ii) discharging some of the previously accumulated energy into the load circuitry each time the switch is opened.

Methods and systems for down-converting a signal

Methods, systems, and apparatuses for down-converting a modulated carrier signal to a demodulated baseband signal by sampling a portion of the energy of the carrier signal are described herein. Briefly stated, such methods systems, and apparatuses operate by receiving a modulated carrier signal and using a control signal to control a switch or switches so as to transfer a portion of the energy from the modulated carrier signal in the form of charge to a storage capacitor during a plurality of aperture periods and to discharge the charge in the storage capacitor into a load during the time between the plurality of aperture periods. The demodulated baseband signal is generated&#x2014;during both the charging and the discharging of the storage capacitor based on the energy accumulated at the storage capacitor as a net result of previous charging and discharging of the storage capacitor.

Methods, systems, and apparatuses for down-converting a modulated carrier signal to a demodulated baseband signal by sampling a portion of the energy of the carrier signal are described herein. Briefly stated, such methods systems, and apparatuses operate by receiving a modulated carrier signal and using a control signal to control a switch or switches so as to transfer a portion of the energy from the modulated carrier signal in the form of charge to a storage capacitor during a plurality of aperture periods and to discharge the charge in the storage capacitor into a load during the time between the plurality of aperture periods. The demodulated baseband signal is generated during both the charging and the discharging of the storage capacitor based on the energy accumulated at the storage capacitor as a net result of previous charging and discharging of the storage capacitor.

Method and system for down-converting and electromagnetic signal

Methods, systems, and apparatus for down converting a modulated carrier signal to a demodulated baseband signal are described herein. A first switch is controlled with a first control signal which comprises a first sampling aperture with a specified frequency, wherein the first switch is on during the first sampling aperture and wherein the first switch is off outside the first sampling aperture. A second switch is controlled with a second control signal which comprises a second sampling aperture with a specified frequency, wherein the second switch is on during the second sampling aperture and wherein the second switch is off outside the second sampling aperture. The first and second control signals each control a charging and discharging cycle of a respective energy storage element so that for each switch a portion of energy is transferred to the respective energy storage element when the respective switch is on during the charging cycle, and a portion of previously transferred energy is discharged during the discharging cycle for each respective switch when the switch is off. A down-converted in-phase baseband signal portion is derived from energy accumulated at said first energy storage element during both the charging and the discharging cycles for the first energy storage element and a down-converted inverted in-phase baseband signal portion is derived from energy accumulated at said second energy storage element during both the charging and the discharging cycles for the second energy storage element, and the two portions are combined with a first differential amplifier circuit to form a down-converted differential in-phase baseband signal.

Methods, systems, and apparatuses for down converting a modulated carrier signal to a demodulated baseband signal are described herein. A first switch is controlled with a first control signal Which comprises a first sampling aperture with a specified frequency, wherein the first switch is on during the first sampling aperture and wherein the first switch is off outside the first sampling aperture. A second switch is controlled with a second control signal which comprises a second sampling aperture and wherein the second switch is off outside the second sampling aperture. The first and second control signals each control a charging and discharging cycle of a respective energy storage element so that for each switch a portion of energy is transferred to the respective energy storage element when the respective switch is on during the charging cycle, and a portion of previously transferred energy is discharged during the discharging cycle for each respective switch when the switch is off. A down-converted in-phase baseband signal portion is derived from energy accumulated at said first energy storage element during both the charging and the discharging cycles for the first energy storage element and a down-converted inverted in-phase baseband signal portion is derived from energy accumulated at said second energy storage element during both the charging and the discharging cycles for the second energy storage element, and the two portions are combined with a first differential amplifier circuit to form a down-converted differential in-phase baseband signal.

Methods, systems, and apparatuses, and combinations and sub-combinations thereof, for down-converting an electromagnetic (EM) signal are described herein. Briefly stated, in embodiments the invention operates by receiving an EM signal and recursively operating on approximate half cycles (&#xbd;, 1&#xbd;, 2&#xbd;, etc) of the carrier signal. The recursive operations can be performed at a sub-harmonic rate of the carrier signal. The invention accumulates the results of the recursive operations and uses the accumulated results to form a down-converted signal. In an embodiment, the EM signal is down-converted to an intermediate frequency (IF) signal. In another embodiment, the EM signal is down-converted to a baseband information signal. In another embodiment, the EM signal is a frequency modulated (FM) signal, which is down-converted to a non-FM signal, such as a phase modulated (PM) signal or an amplitude modulated (AM) signal.

Method and system for down-converting an electromagnetic signal, and transforms for same, and aperture relationships

Frequency translation and applications of same are described herein. Such applications include, but are not limited to, frequency down-conversion, frequency up-conversion, enhanced signal reception, unified down-conversion and filtering, and combinations and applications of same.

Applications of universal frequency translation

Methods, systems, and apparatuses, and combinations and sub-combinations thereof, for down-converting an electromagnetic (EM) signal are described herein. Briefly stated, in embodiments the invention operates by receiving an EM signal and recursively operating on approximate half cycles (&#xbd;, 1&#xbd;, 2&#xbd;, etc) of the carrier signal. The recursive operations can be performed at a sub-harmonic rate of the carrier signal. The invention accumulates the results of the recursive operations and uses the accumulated results to form a down-converted signal. In an embodiment, the EM signal is down-converted to an intermediate frequency (IF) signal. In another embodiment, the EM signal is down-converted to a hasehand information signal. In another embodiment, the EM signal is a frequency modulated (FM) signal, which is down-converted to a non-FM signal, such as a phase modulated (PM) signal or an amplitude modulated (AM) signal.

A balanced transmitter up-converts I and Q baseband signals directly from baseband-to-RF. The up-conversion process is sufficiently linear that no IF processing is required, even in communications applications that have stringent requirements on spectral growth. In operation, the balanced modulator sub-harmonically samples the I and Q baseband signals in a balanced and differential manner, resulting in harmonically rich signal. The harmonically rich signal contains multiple harmonic images that repeat at multiples of the sampling frequency, where each harmonic contains necessary information to reconstruct the I and Q baseband signals. The differential sampling is performed according to control signals that are phase shifted with respect to each other. The control signals may have pulse widths (or apertures) that operate to improve energy transfer to a desired harmonic in the harmonically rich signal. A bandpass filter can then be utilized to select the desired harmonic of interest from the harmonically rich signal.

Apparatus and method of differential IQ frequency up-conversion

Methods, systems, and apparatuses for down-converting an electromagnetic (EM) signal by aliasing the EM signal are described herein. Such methods, systems, and apparatuses operate by receiving an EM signal and an aliasing signal having an aliasing rate. The EM signal is aliased according to the aliasing signal to down-convert the EM signal. The term aliasing, as used herein, refers to both down-converting an EM signal by under-sampling the EM signal at an aliasing rate, and down-converting an EM signal by transferring energy from the EM signal at the aliasing rate. In an embodiment, the EM signal is down-converted to an intermediate frequency (IF) signal. In another embodiment, the EM signal is down-converted to a emodulated baseband information signal. In another embodiment, the EM signal is a frequency modulated (FM) signal, which is down-converted to a non-FM signal, such as a phase modulated (PM) signal or an amplitude modulated (AM) signal.

Methods, systems, and apparatuses for down-converting and up-converting an electromagnetic signal. In embodiments, the invention operates by receiving an electromagnetic signal and recursively operating on approximate half cycles of a carrier signal. The recursive operations can be performed at a sub-harmonic rate of the carrier signal. The invention accumulates the results of the recursive operations and uses the accumulated results to form a down-converted signal. In embodiments, up-conversion is accomplished by controlling a switch with an oscillating signal, the frequency of the oscillating signal being selected as a sub-harmonic of the desired output frequency. When the invention is being used in the frequency modulation or phase modulation implementations, the oscillating signal is modulated by an information signal before it causes the switch to gate a bias signal. The output of the switch is filtered, and the desired harmonic is output.

Apparatus, system, and method for down converting and up-converting electromagnetic signals

A balanced transmitter up-converts a baseband signal directly from baseband-to-RF. The up-conversion process is sufficiently linear that no IF processing is required, even in communications applications that have stringent requirements on spectral growth. In operation, the balanced modulator sub-harmonically samples the baseband signal in a balanced and differential manner, resulting in harmonically rich signal. The harmonically rich signal contains multiple harmonic images that repeat at multiples of the sampling frequency, where each harmonic contains the necessary information to reconstruct the baseband signal. The differential sampling is performed according to a first and second control signals that are phase shifted with respect to each other. In embodiments of the invention, the control signals have pulse widths (or apertures) that operate to improve energy transfer to a desired harmonic in the harmonically rich signal. A bandpass filter can then be utilized to select the desired harmonic of interest from the harmonically rich signal. The sampling modules that perform the sampling can be configured in either a series or a shunt configuration. In embodiments of the invention, DC offset voltages are minimized between the sampling modules to minimize or prevent carrier insertion into the harmonic images.

Growing community of inventors

Jacksonville, FL, United States of America

Charley D Moses, Jr