Nordic Semiconductor Asa

Stein Erik Weberg

Sverre Wichlund

Ola Bruset

Werner Luzi

Tor Øyvind Vedal

Ingil Sundsbø

Ingil Sundsbo

Ingil SundsbØ

There is provided a method of testing an RF transceiver circuit and an RF transceiver circuit arranged to be operable in a test mode including a transmitter circuit portion and a receiver circuit portion, the receiver circuit portion including a mixer. The method involves the transmitter circuit portion generating a modulated signal and the receiver circuit portion receiving a continuous radio frequency wave. The mixer mixes the modulated signal with a signal derived from the continuous radio frequency wave to produce an output. A remainder of the receiver circuit portion processes the output of the mixer.

Testing RF transmitters and receivers

A circuit portion for a radio transceiver comprises: a power amplifier for use when the transceiver operates in a transmission mode, a low-noise amplifier for use when the transceiver operates in a reception mode, a voltage control circuit portion, and a transformer. The transformer comprises a primary winding with a terminal for connecting to an antenna, and a secondary winding comprising a first terminal, a second terminal and a third terminal located between the first and second terminals. The power amplifier is connected to the secondary winding, the low-noise amplifier is connected to both the primary and secondary windings and the voltage control circuit portion is connected to the third terminal of the secondary winding. The voltage control circuit portion applies a first voltage to the third terminal when the transceiver operates in the transmission mode and applies a second, different voltage when the transceiver operates in the reception mode.

Radio front-end

A radio transceiver device comprises a transmit amplifier, a receive amplifier, an impedance matching circuit portion, and an antenna connection node for connection to an antenna. The impedance matching circuit portion is arranged between the antenna connection node and each of the transmit and receive amplifiers. The impedance matching circuit portion comprises a switch and an inductor and is arranged such that, in a receive mode of operation, the switch is first state and incoming signals from the antenna pass to the receive amplifier via the inductor. In a transmit mode of operation, the switch is in a second state and the transmit amplifier is coupled to a power supply rail Vvia the inductor.

Radio transceivers

Oscillator calibration

A phase locked loop frequency synthesizer is arranged to provide a target frequency output signal for a radio transmitter or receiver. The synthesizer comprises: a voltage controlled oscillator () operating at a first frequency; a first, fixed frequency divider to provide a second frequency, a pre-scaler to provide a variable frequency division of said second frequency to produce a third frequency, said pre-scaler comprising: a second frequency divider () connected to said first output () and providing a second output at a second frequency; and a phase detector () controlling said voltage controlled oscillator () on the basis of a comparison between a reference signal and a signal dependent on said third frequency; wherein the synthesizer is configured so that said first output () provides said target frequency output signal.

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Trondheim, Norway

Stein Erik Weberg