Frequency-converting super-regenerative transceiver

{
  "publication_number": "US10749472B2",
  "country": "US",
  "kind": "B2",
  "title": "Frequency-converting super-regenerative transceiver",
  "abstract": "The present disclosure provides a frequency-converting super regenerative transceiver with a frequency mixer coupled to a resonator and a feedback element having a controllable gain. The frequency-converting super-regenerative transceiver utilizes the frequency mixer to shift the incoming frequencies, based on a controlled oscillator, to match the frequency of operation of the super-regenerative transceiver. The frequency-converting super-regenerative transceivers described herein permit signal data capture over a broad range of frequencies and for a range of communication protocols. The frequency-converting super-regenerative transceivers described herein are tunable, consume very little power for operation and maintenance, and permit long term operation even when powered by very small power sources (e.g., coin batteries).",
  "claims": [
    "1. An RF receiver comprising: a resonator comprising two or more electrodes, wherein each of the two or more electrodes is coupled to at least one other electrode of the two or more electrodes, the two or more electrodes comprise at least one feedback electrode, and the two or more electrodes comprise at least one input electrode; a feedback element coupled to the at least one feedback electrode, wherein the feedback element has a loop gain, the loop gain is controlled based at least in part upon one or more feedback control signals, the loop gain is controlled to change from a first value to a second value through an intermediate value during a period of a single symbol, the first value corresponds to the loop gain being zero or less, the intermediate value corresponds to the loop gain being between zero and one, and the second value corresponds to the loop gain being 1 or more; a frequency mixer coupled to the at least one input electrode, wherein the frequency mixer shifts a first signal within at least a first frequency range by an amount based at least in part upon a frequency of a local oscillator frequency signal; and a controlled oscillator coupled to the frequency mixer, wherein the controlled oscillator provides the local oscillator frequency signal to the frequency mixer.",
    "2. The RF receiver of claim 1, wherein the local oscillator frequency signal is controlled based at least in part upon one or more local oscillator frequency control signals, and at least one of the one or more local oscillator frequency control signals is based at least in part upon a resonance frequency of the resonator.",
    "3. The RF receiver of claim 2, wherein at least one of the one or more local oscillator frequency control signals is based at least in part upon a temperature associated with the resonator.",
    "4. The RF receiver of claim 1, wherein the feedback element comprises a controlled impedance element.",
    "5. The RF receiver of claim 4, wherein the two or more electrodes comprise at least two feedback electrodes, and the controlled impedance element is coupled differentially to the at least two feedback electrodes.",
    "6. The RF receiver of claim 1, wherein the two or more electrodes comprise at least two feedback electrodes, the feedback element comprises a closed-loop feedback element, and the closed-loop feedback element is coupled to the at least two feedback electrodes.",
    "7. The RF receiver of claim 1, further comprising: a tuning element coupled to at least one tuning electrode, wherein the two or more electrodes comprise the at least one tuning electrode, the tuning element is controlled by one or more frequency control signals, and a resonance frequency of the resonator is controlled by the tuning element.",
    "8. The RF receiver of claim 7, wherein at least one of the one or more frequency control signals is based at least in part upon a temperature associated with the resonator.",
    "9. The RF receiver of claim 1, wherein the resonator type comprises at least one of the following MEMS categories: a surface micromachined micromechanical structure, a bulk micromachined micromechanical structure, a piezoelectrically-actuatable micromechanical structure, and a capacitively-actuatable micromechanical structure.",
    "10. The RF receiver of claim 1, further comprising: a response sensing element coupled to at least one response sense electrode, wherein the two or more electrodes comprise the at least one response sense electrode, and an output of the response sensing element is based at least in part upon a response of the resonator.",
    "11. The RF receiver of claim 10, wherein at least one of the one or more feedback control signals is based at least in part upon the output of the response sensing element.",
    "12. A system to capture symbol data from a wireless signal using an RF receiver, the system comprising: a resonator comprising two or more electrodes, wherein each of the two or more electrodes is coupled to at least one other electrode of the two or more electrodes, the two or more electrodes comprise at least one feedback electrode, and the two or more electrodes comprise at least one input electrode; a feedback element coupled to the at least one feedback electrode, wherein the feedback element has a loop gain, and the loop gain is controlled based at least in part upon one or more feedback control signals; a frequency mixer coupled to the at least one input electrode, wherein the frequency mixer shifts a first signal within at least a first frequency range by an amount based at least in part upon a frequency of a local oscillator frequency signal; a controlled oscillator coupled to the frequency mixer, wherein the controlled oscillator provides the local oscillator frequency signal to the frequency mixer; one or more processors; and one or more memories operatively coupled to at least one of the one or more processors and having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by at least one of the one or more processors, cause the system to: provide instructions to set the loop gain to a first value during a first portion of a period of a single symbol, wherein the loop gain is set based at least in part upon at least one of the one or more feedback control signals comprising first data, and the first value corresponds to the loop gain being zero or less; provide instructions to set the loop gain to an intermediate value during a second portion of the period of the single symbol, wherein the loop gain is set based at least in part upon at least one of the one or more feedback control signals comprising second data, the intermediate value is between the first value and a second value, and the intermediate value corresponds to the loop gain being between zero and one; and provide instructions to set the loop gain to the second value during a third portion of the period of the single symbol, wherein the loop gain is set based at least in part upon at least one of the one or more feedback control signals comprising third data, and the second value corresponds to the loop gain being 1 or more.",
    "13. The system of claim 12, wherein the local oscillator frequency signal is controlled based at least in part upon one or more local oscillator frequency control signals, and at least one of the one or more local oscillator frequency control signals is based at least in part upon a resonance frequency of the resonator.",
    "14. The system of claim 12, wherein the resonator type comprises at least one of the following MEMS categories: a surface micromachined micromechanical structure, a bulk micromachined micromechanical structure, a piezoelectrically-actuatable micromechanical structure, and a capacitively-actuatable micromechanical structure.",
    "15. The system of claim 12, further comprising: a response sensing element coupled to at least one response sense electrode, wherein the two or more electrodes comprise the at least one response sense electrode, and an output of the response sensing element is based at least in part upon a response of the resonator.",
    "16. The system of claim 15, wherein at least one of the one or more feedback control signals is based at least in part upon the output of the response sensing element.",
    "17. A computer-implemented method of capturing symbol data from a wireless signal using an RF receiver, wherein the RF receiver comprises a resonator, a feedback element, a frequency mixer, and a controlled oscillator, the resonator comprises two or more electrodes, each of the two or more electrodes is coupled to at least one other electrode of the two or more electrodes, the two or more electrodes comprise at least one feedback electrode, the two or more electrodes comprise at least one input electrode, the feedback element is coupled to the at least one feedback electrode, the feedback element has a loop gain, the loop gain is controlled based at least in part upon one or more feedback control signals, the frequency mixer is coupled to the at least one input electrode, the frequency mixer shifts a first signal within at least a first frequency range by an amount based at least in part upon a frequency of a local oscillator frequency signal, the controlled oscillator is coupled to the frequency mixer, and the controlled oscillator provides the local oscillator frequency signal to the frequency mixer, the method comprising: providing, by at least one of one or more processors, instructions to set the loop gain to a first value during a first portion of a period of a single symbol, wherein the loop gain is set based at least in part upon at least one of the one or more feedback control signals comprising first data, and the first value corresponds to the loop gain being zero or less; providing, by at least one of the one or more processors, instructions to set the loop gain to an intermediate value during a second portion of the period of the single symbol, wherein the loop gain is set based at least in part upon at least one of the one or more feedback control signals comprising second data, the intermediate value is between the first value and a second value, and the intermediate value corresponds to the loop gain being between zero and one; and providing, by at least one of the one or more processors, instructions to set the loop gain to the second value during a third portion of the period of the single symbol, wherein the loop gain is set based at least in part upon at least one of the one or more feedback control signals comprising third data, and the second value corresponds to the loop gain being 1 or more.",
    "18. The method of claim 17, wherein the local oscillator frequency signal is controlled based at least in part upon one or more local oscillator frequency control signals, and at least one of the one or more local oscillator frequency control signals is based at least in part upon a resonance frequency of the resonator.",
    "19. The method of claim 17, wherein the resonator type comprises at least one of the following MEMS categories: a surface micromachined micromechanical structure, a bulk micromachined micromechanical structure, a piezoelectrically-actuatable micromechanical structure, and a capacitively-actuatable micromechanical structure.",
    "20. The method of claim 17, wherein the RF receiver further comprises a response sensing element coupled to at least one response sense electrode, wherein the two or more electrodes comprise the at least one response sense electrode, and an output of the response sensing element is based at least in part upon a response of the resonator.",
    "21. The method of claim 20, wherein at least one of the one or more feedback control signals is based at least in part upon the output of the response sensing element."
  ],
  "description_excerpt": "The disclosure relates generally to wireless communication receivers, wireless communication transmitters, and electronic oscillator designs, systems, methods, and devices. Particularly, the disclosure relates to designs, systems, methods and devices for realizing improvements to super-regenerative resonator architectures used in wireless receivers, wireless transmitters, and electronic oscillators. More specifically, the disclosure relates to improvements to super-regenerative resonator architectures that allow low-power wireless receivers and transmitters, as well as improvements to the range of frequency of operation and the frequency stability of oscillators.\n\nThe field of RF-MEMS has thus far improved many aspects of wireless communication, with great gains in reducing power-consumption and reducing size when compared to conventional technology. On-chip MEMS devices now provide applications from compact and low phase-noise reference oscillators to band-selecting RF front-end duplexers. Greater potential remains, however, if the high quality factor and CAD-definable frequency possible in MEMS can be harnessed to achieve a complete radio without the need for the power-hungry frequency mixing and wide-bandwidth analog to digital conversion used in modern RF architectures.\n\nBecause of the high Q-factors achievable in some resonators, a super-regenerative receiver made using such resonators offers not only the amplitude-shift keying (ASK) possible in conventional super-regenerative receivers, but also allows discrimination of frequency-shift keying (FSK), a key capability for modern digital communication systems.",
  "cpc": [
    "H03B 5/32",
    "H03B 5/1215",
    "H03B 5/30",
    "H03B 5/323",
    "H03D 11/04",
    "H03D 11/08",
    "H03D 2200/0074",
    "H03H 2003/027",
    "H03H 3/02",
    "H03H 9/02228",
    "H03H 9/02259",
    "H03H 9/02393",
    "H03H 9/2447",
    "H03H 9/2457",
    "H04B 1/16",
    "H04B 1/24",
    "H04L 27/127",
    "H04W 64/006"
  ],
  "ipc": [
    "H03B 5/32",
    "H03H 9/02",
    "H03H 9/24",
    "H03B 5/12",
    "H03B 5/30",
    "H03D 11/04",
    "H03D 11/08",
    "H04B 1/16",
    "H04L 27/12"
  ],
  "assignees": [
    "Mumec Inc"
  ],
  "inventors": [
    "Tristan Orion Rocheleau",
    "Thura Lin Naing"
  ],
  "filing_date": "2018-02-11",
  "publication_date": "2020-08-18",
  "grant_date": "2020-08-18",
  "priority_date": "2017-02-11",
  "application_number": "US-201816314656-A",
  "family_id": "63107054",
  "cited_by_count": 5,
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}