High bandwidth modulation and transmission
View Patent ↗This disclosure relates systems and methods for a high bandwidth modulation and transmission of communication signals.
1. A transmission device comprising:
a first path that receives a first signal comprising useful information and that provides a pulse stream signal, the first path having a switched-mode output stage;
a second path that receives a second signal and that provides a phase modulated signal;
a mixer that receives the pulse stream signal and the phase modulated signal and provides an intermediate signal to the switched-mode output stage;
an error computation unit that provides an error signal representative of an Inband Signal Error of the pulse stream signal, the error computation unit having a linear output stage, the error computation unit including a filter coupled to a second mixer, the filter to provide the Inband Signal Error to the second mixer, and the second mixer to perform an operation on the Inband Signal Error and the phase modulated signal to provide the error signal; and
an error correction unit that receives the intermediate signal and the error signal and that provides a transmission signal.
2. A transmission device according to claim 1 ,
the first path to perform an amplitude modulation.
3. A transmission device according to claim 2 ,
the linear output stage being arranged downstream of the error computation unit.
4. A transmission device according to claim 1 ,
the error correction unit comprising a combiner to combine an output signal from the switched-mode output stage and the error signal.
5. A transmission device according to claim 1 ,
the error correction unit comprising a filter to provide a filtered transmission signal.
6. A transmission device according to claim 5 ,
the filter being disposed as Band Pass Filter.
7. A modulator for modulating a useful signal into a modulated signal comprising:
a Pulse Width Modulator (PWM) that receives a signal and that provides a pulse stream signal derived from the signal;
a Phase Modulator that receives a second signal and that provides an Local Oscillator (LO) signal;
a first mixer that receives the pulse stream signal and the LO signal and that provides an intermediate signal;
a first output stage that receives the intermediate signal and that provides an output signal;
an error estimation block that receives the pulse stream signal provides a first intermediate error signal;
a second mixer that receives the first intermediate error signal and the LO signal and provides a second intermediate error signal;
a second output stage that receives the second intermediate error signal and that provides an error signal;
a combiner that receives the output signal and the error signal and that provides the modulated signal.
8. A modulator according to claim 7 :
the error estimation unit comprising a filter to derive an error component of the pulse stream signal.
9. A modulator according to claim 7 :
the first output stage comprising at least one switched amplifier.
10. A modulator according to claim 7 :
the second output stage comprising at least one linear amplifier.
11. A modulator according to claim 7 comprising:
a Band Pass Filter to filter the modulated signal.
12. A method for modulating a useful signal into a modulated signal comprising:
coding the first signal to provide a pulse stream signal;
phase modulating a second signal to provide an Local Oscillator (LO) signal;
mixing the pulse stream signal and the LO signal to provide an intermediate signal;
amplifying the intermediate signal to provide an output signal;
filtering the pulse stream signal to provide a first intermediate error signal;
mixing the first intermediate error signal with the LO signal to provide a second intermediate error signal;
amplifying the second intermediate error signal to provide an error signal; and
combining the error signal with the output signal to provide a modulated signal.
13. A method according to claim 12 wherein:
amplifying the intermediate signal involves use of switched amplification.
14. A method according to claim 12 wherein:
amplifying the second intermediate error signal involves use of linear amplification.
15. A method according to claim 12 comprising:
Band Pass Filtering of the modulated signal.
16. An apparatus, comprising:
a first Pulse Width Modulator (PWM) to receive a first input signal and provide a first pulse stream signal;
a second PWM to receive a second input signal and provide a second pulse stream signal;
a first filter to receive the first pulse stream signal and provide a first intermediate error signal;
a second filter to receive the second pulse stream signal and provide a second intermediate error signal;
an adder to combine the first and second intermediate error signals to provide a combined error signal;
at least one amplifier to amplify, respectively, mixed first and second pulse stream signals to provide first and second output signals; and
a combiner to receive the combined error signal and the first and second output signals and to provide a transmission signal.
17. The apparatus according to claim 16 , wherein the first input signal is an Inphase component signal and the second input signal is a Quadrature component signal.
18. The apparatus according to claim 16 , wherein the first output signal is an Inphase output signal and the second output signal is a Quadrature output signal.