Semtech Corporation

Cascoda Limited

Wolfgang Bruchner

Jonathan Lamb

Richard James Lansdowne

An apparatus is described for performing a correlation function on a received signal and a plurality of predetermined chip codes from a communication standard. The apparatus comprising: a first plurality of logic gates configured as a multiplier unit operable to receive a signal sampled at a predetermined sampling frequency, and to perform predetermined multiplication operations on the input signal in accordance with the correlation function; a first memory unit operable to receive and store multiplication values from the first plurality of logic gates; a second memory unit having stored therein values from predetermined multiplication operations performed on the plurality of chip codes in accordance with the correlation function; and a second plurality of logic gates configured as an adder unit to receive multiplication values outputted from the first memory unit and the second memory unit and to sum the multiplication values from the first memory unit taking into account the multiplication values in the from the second memory unit.

Apparatus and method to perform a double correlation

A wireless receiver designed to conform to the standard IEEE 802.15.4. The receiver comprises an analog front-end and a digital decoder. The analog components of the front end include one or more amplifiers and an analog-to-digital converter (ADC). The digital decoder receives the output of the ADC and demodulates it in a demodulator which is driven at an a chip frequency by an internal or external clock. The demodulator comprises a sampler operable to sample the digital signal at a sampling frequency and a correlation unit operable to process a set of bits, referred to as a chip code, in the sampled digitized signal and output therefrom a set of correlation values. The set of correlation values is an indicator of likely mapping between the chip code that has been processed and a set of possible chip codes defined according to the standard. The demodulator further comprises a symbol selection unit and a frequency correction unit. The symbol selection unit has the function of deciding which symbol has been received based on an analysis of each set of correlation values. The frequency correction unit is operable to make adjustments to the chip frequency based on the correlation values output from the correlation unit, specifically to increase or decrease the chip frequency based on a measurement of whether the maximum correlation value among each set of correlation values occurs earlier or later than predicted. This scheme has the advantage that phase and frequency compensation is done after correlation avoiding the need for coherent demodulation while at the same time not requiring the stringent specifications of a conventional non-coherent demodulation scheme.

Wireless receiver

A phase detector and signal locking system controller for use in a digital phase-locked loop (PLL) application includes a first and a second phase detector where the first phase detector result is used to control the initial pull-in and the second phase detector is used to control fine tuning once the phase differences are too small for appropriate detection by the first phase detector. A post processing and control unit operates to effectively merge the two phase detector outputs and to apply the appropriate gain factor that can be used to control a PLL system.

Phase detector and signal locking system controller

A clock synthesizer produces an output clock that has a programmable phase offset from the input clock. The clock synthesizer includes an accumulator and an offset adder. The output clock is derived from the offset adder. The offset adder receives a value derived from the accumulator and a selected phase offset value. The phase difference between the non-aligned output clock and the aligned output clock is determined by the phase offset value. The time resolution of the clock synthesizer may be defined by the clock rate of the system and the number of bits used in the offset adder and the accumulator.

Method and apparatus for controlling the phase of the clock output of a digital clock

A clock output controller using a digital frequency synthesis minimizes the clock output disturbance due to input reference signal switchover. The controller includes a first and a second accumulator where the Most Significant Bit (MSB) of the first accumulator output generates the clock output signal and the MSB of the second accumulator generates a feedback signal. A reset control signal is generated by the transition edge detector/switchover controller and it is coupled to the register block of the second accumulator in order to reset the feedback signal at an appropriate time so as to match the phase of the new reference signal. A hold control signal is also generated to keep the clock output locked on the old reference signal until the feedback signal is locked to the new signal. The hold signal is then reset once locking to the new reference signal is accomplished and the clock output is fully switched over with minimal disturbance.

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Southampton, United Kingdom

Wolfgang Bruchner