Methods and systems relating to ultra wideband transmitters
Within many applications impulse radio based ultra-wideband (IR-UWB) transmission offers significant benefits for very short range high data rate communications when compared with existing standards and protocols. In many of these applications the main design goals are very low power consumption and very low complexity design for easy integration and cost reduction. Digitally programmable IR-UWB transmitters using an on-off keying modulation scheme on a 0.13 microns CMOS process operating on 1.2V supply and yielding power consumption as low as 0.9 mW at a 10 Mbps data rate with dynamic power control are enabled. The IR-UWB transmitters support new frequency hopping techniques providing more efficient spectrum usage and dynamic allocation of the spectrum when transmitting in highly congested frequency bands. Biphasic scrambling is also introduced for spectral line reduction. Additionally, an energy detection receiver for IR-UWB is presented to similarly meet these design goals whilst being adaptable to address IR-UWB transmitter specificity.
1. A method of controlling a radio frequency (RF) circuit comprising:
providing a memory storing data relating to configuration of the RF circuit; wherein
the RF circuit when in use is configured in dependence upon a portion of the data extracted from the memory by at least one of a portion of the RF circuit and a processor coupled to the RF circuit;
the RF circuit forms part of a wireless transmitter;
the data comprises a plurality of masks;
each mask of the plurality of masks defines an output power spectrum for the RF circuit and a configuration for each pulse of a plurality of N pulses to be generated by the RF circuit for transmitting a bit of data to be transmitted by the wireless transmitter;
the configuration for each pulse of the plurality of N pulses defines a predetermined frequency of a plurality M frequencies, a predetermined amplitude, and a predetermined pulse length; where N≥2 and M≥2;
M and N are integers; and
at least one of:
the output power spectrum defined by each mask of the plurality of masks does not overlap one or more defined frequencies associated within one or more predetermined wireless standards such that the wireless transmitter operates without filtering of an RF signal generated by the RF circuit to be transmitted by the wireless transmitter; and
the output power spectrum defined by each mask of the plurality of masks comprises notches at one or more defined frequencies associated within one or more predetermined wireless standards such that the wireless transmitter operates without filtering of the RF signal generated by the RF circuit to be transmitted by the wireless transmitter.
2. A method of controlling a radio frequency (RF) circuit comprising:
providing a memory storing data relating to configuration of the RF circuit; wherein
the RF circuit when in use is configured in dependence upon a portion of the data extracted from the memory by at least one of a portion of the RF circuit and a processor coupled to the RF circuit;
the RF circuit forms part of a wireless transmitter;
the RF circuit comprises a digitally controlled ring oscillator (DCRO) comprising at least R serially connected digitally programmable delay cells (DPDCs);
the data comprises a plurality of masks where each mask of the plurality of masks defines a configuration for each pulse of a plurality of N pulses to be generated by the RF circuit for transmitting a bit of data by the wireless transmitter where the configuration of each pulse of the plurality of N pulses defines a predetermined frequency of a plurality M frequencies, a predetermined amplitude, and a predetermined pulse length;
the portion of data extracted is a mask of the plurality of masks and comprises for each pulse of the plurality of N pulses an R-bit word coupled to the R serially connected DPDCs to establish the predetermined frequency of that pulse of the plurality of N pulses;
where R, M and N are positive integers; and
R≥1, N≥2 and M≥2.
3. A method of controlling a radio frequency (RF) circuit comprising:
providing a memory storing data relating to configuration of the RF circuit; wherein
the RF circuit when in use is configured in dependence upon a portion of the data extracted from the memory by at least one of a portion of the RF circuit and a processor coupled to the RF circuit;
the RF circuit forms part of a wireless transmitter;
the RF circuit comprises a pulse generator comprising at least R serially connected inverter stages;
the data comprises a plurality of masks where each mask of the plurality of masks defines a configuration for each pulse of a plurality of N pulses to be generated by the RF circuit for transmitting a bit of data by the wireless transmitter where the configuration of each pulse of the plurality of N pulses defines a predetermined frequency of a plurality M frequencies, a predetermined amplitude, and a predetermined pulse length;
the portion of data extracted is a mask of the plurality of masks and comprises for each pulse of the plurality of N pulses an R-bit word coupled to the R serially connected inverter stages to establish the predetermined pulse length of that pulse of the plurality of N pulses;
where R, M and N are positive integers; and
R≥1, N≥2 and M≥2.