Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090243690 | SINGLE-CLOCK-BASED MULTIPLE-CLOCK FREQUENCY GENERATOR - In an embodiment of the present invention, a clock generator circuit is disclosed to include a phase locked loop (PLL) that is responsive to a clock signal quadrature output frequency and a clock signal in-phase output frequency. The clock generator circuit generates a single clock frequency that is a fraction of the frequency of the clock signal quadrature output frequency and the clock signal in-phase output frequency. The PLL includes a single voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) that generates the single clock frequency. A plurality of dividers is included in the clock generator circuit and is responsive to the clock signal quadrature output frequency and the clock signal in-phase output frequency and generates multiple clock frequencies, each clock frequency being a unique frequency, each of the plurality of dividers generating an output that is phase and frequency synchronized to the single clock frequency. | 10-01-2009 |
20090311973 | Radio Transmitter and Radio Receiver with Channel Condition Assessment - FM radio transmitter is being widely used in portable devices as a convenient way to output audio contents to ubiquitously available FM radio receivers in cars or homes. However, the signal from the FM radio transmitter may be interfering with the signal being broadcast by an FM radio station. A scan system is incorporated into the FM radio transmitter to quickly and reliably identify a vacant channel for the FM radio transmitter to use. The scan system measures on-channel and out-of-channel signal quality and selects a best channel for transmission based on the measured on-channel and out-of-channel signal quality. The scan system is also incorporated into an FM radio receiver to quickly and reliably tune to a valid channel. The scan system selects the valid channel based on the measured on-channel and out-of-channel signal quality. | 12-17-2009 |
20090311982 | FREQUENCY MODULATION (FM) CLEAR CHANNEL SCANNING SYSTEM AND METHOD OF USING SAME - A scan system receives signals within a band from an antenna and divides the band into sub-bands and scans the channels of each sub-band to determine a candidate channel based on the lowest figure of merit (FOM) and includes an on-channel selection block responsive to a received digital signal and operative to select only the on-channel frequencies and to substantially disregard the out-of-channel frequencies from the digital signal. The scan system generates a FOM on-channel signal representing a measurement of the signal quality of the on-channel signal and includes an out-of-channel selection block responsive to the digital signal and operative to select only the out-of-channel frequencies and to substantially disregard the on-channel frequencies from the digital signal and operative to generate a FOM out-of-channel signal representing a measurement of the signal quality of the out-of-channel signal. | 12-17-2009 |
20110034139 | System and Method of Automatic Tuning Adjustment for Portable Radio Frequency Receivers - Systems and method for automatic adjustment of tunable filter for portable radio frequency receivers. The effective antenna impedance for a portable radio frequency receiver is often affected by human body. The front end tunable filter may become off tuned due to human body effect. The system relies on radio frequency signals received from an antenna interface and utilizes receive path circuitry to derive signal parameters about the received signal. Tuning control circuitry is used to provide control signals based on the signal parameters to adjust the tunable filter to achieve the best receiver performance. A method is disclosed for automatic adjustment of the tunable filter. The method comprises steps of receiving radio frequency signals, filtering the received radio frequency, processing the filtered signal to obtain digitized signals, deriving signal parameters based on the digitized signal; providing control signals to adjust the tunable filter, and repeating the steps until a desired result is achieved with respect to the signal parameters. | 02-10-2011 |
20110053534 | CLOCK GENERATION FOR INTEGRATED RADIO FREQUENCY RECEIVERS - Systems of clock generation for integrated radio frequency receiver. In an integrated radio frequency receiver, a mixer is often used to down convert the incoming radio frequency signal. The down converted signal is then digitized and digital signal processing circuitry is used for efficient and flexible implementation of various functions to receive the underlying audio and/or data information. The mixer requires clock generation circuitry to provide a proper local oscillator signal for a selected channel. On the other hand, the digital signal processing circuitry requires its separate digital clock for proper operations. The clock generation system utilizes single local oscillator generation circuitry to provide the local oscillator signals required by the mixer and the digital clock signals required by the digital signal processing circuitry. In order to maintain a fixed frequency for the digital clock signal regardless channel selection, a fractional divider coupled with sigma-delta circuitry is used to derive the digital clock signal. | 03-03-2011 |
20110159835 | CRYSTAL-LESS CLOCK GENERATION FOR RADIO FREQUENCY RECEIVERS - Systems and methods of clock generation for radio frequency receiver. In radio frequency receiver, the system requires accurate local oscillating (LO) signal and system clocks for proper operation and to ensure high quality performance. In order to achieve accurate LO frequency and system clock, a crystal or and accurate reference clock is provide to the clock generation circuit. How a low-cost receiver, it is desirable to eliminate the requirement for a crystal or an accurate reference clock. The present invention discloses systems and methods to utilize a pilot signal embedded in the transmitted signal. The pilot signal usually has very accurate frequency which is particular true for broadcast system such as FM broadcast. In various embodiments of the present invention, the systems and methods measure the relation between the frequency of the pilot signal and the current clock generated. The measured result is compared with a know relation corresponding to the frequency of the pilot signal and the target clock signal and the result is used to adjust the clock generation circuit. | 06-30-2011 |
20110316654 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR TUNING-CAPACITOR-ARRAY SHARING - A system and method for sharing a switched capacitor array (SCA) by two tuning circuits are disclosed. In a multiple-band radio receiver, there is a need to use multiple tuning circuits for signals in different bands. The tuning circuit typically comprised an adjustable capacitance device and other tuning components, where the adjustable capacitance device is often implemented in SCA. The present invention discloses a system and method comprising n sections of capacitor elements where each capacitor element comprises a capacitor and switches to selectively connect the capacitor to one of the tuning circuit. Consequently, the SCA can be shared by the two tuning circuits. The control bits for the switched may be provided from a programmable control register. | 12-29-2011 |
20120001699 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR EXTENDING VCO OUTPUT VOLTAGE SWING - Voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) has been widely used in radio frequency communication systems. In a typical VCO implementation, a pair of directly cross-coupled MOS transistors is used as a switching device and an LC resonant circuit is used to tune the desired frequency. The direct cross coupling of the MOS transistor pair will result in limited output voltage swing since a large swing may cause the MOS transistors into a linear region to increase phase noise. The VCO system to increase the output voltage swing according to one embodiment of the present invention includes DC-blocking capacitors to avoid direct cross coupling of the MOS pair. The VCO further includes circuit to provide bias for the gate voltage of the MOS pair. A method for increasing the output voltage swing is disclosed for a VCO system having LC resonant circuit. The method includes providing DC-blocked cross coupling from the drains of the cross-coupled transistor pair to the gates of the cross-coupled transistor pair. The method also includes providing an offset voltage to the gates of the cross-coupled transistor pair to reduce the maximum gate-to-drain voltage of a cross-coupled NMOS transistor pair or maximum drain-to-gate voltage of a cross-coupled PMOS transistor pair so that the cross-coupled transistor pair will work in a saturation region when the output voltage swing is increased. | 01-05-2012 |
20120007638 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MULTIPLE-PHASE CLOCK GENERATION - A system and method of clock generation to provide divided-by-2 clocks with prescribed phase shifts are disclosed. In a communication system with high-order harmonic mixing, the system requires LO signals with a set of prescribed phase shifts, such as 0°, 45°, 90°, and 135°, or 0°, 60° and 120°. Often, the clock generation system involves a divide-by-2 divider to derive the clock signals with the prescribed phase shifts. In a conventional implementation of the divide-by-2 divider, the system is subject to phase uncertainty in the output signal. Accordingly, a system comprises multiple latch pairs and respective differential clocks are used to generate the clocks with the set of correct prescribed phase shifts. | 01-12-2012 |
20120007651 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR SIGNAL MIXING BASED ON HIGH ORDER HARMONICS - A system and method for signal mixing using high-order harmonics of a local oscillation (LO) signal. In a radio frequency (RF) system, the input RF signal is converted to a lower frequency signal such as an intermediate frequency (IF) signal or a baseband signal for further processing. A voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) is often used to generate a VCO signal which is then divided down to provide the needed LO signals for down conversion. The present invention discloses a system and method for generating a composite harmonic signal based on a linear combination of divided down LO signals with specific phase shifts. Consequently a VCO signal with lower frequency can be used to conserve power. The composite harmonic signal is mixed with the input RF signal to generate a series of mixed signal including one associated with a high-order harmonic of the divided down LO signal. Systems to implement the high order harmonic mixing is also disclosed which comprises a plurality of mixer sections with configurable weighting factors. A combination circuit is used to combine the weighted mixed signals which contains a term corresponding the mixing of the input RF signal with a high order LO harmonic. | 01-12-2012 |
20120025921 | Low Noise VCO Circuit Having Low Noise Bias - A low noise VCO circuit for an LC VCO circuit comprising MOS varactors is disclosed. The LC VCO circuit usually comprises an LC tuning circuit coupled with a pair of cross-coupled transistors used as a negative impedance element. A pair of varactors is used to provide fine tuning by applying a control voltage to the varactor. Since the varactor is also coupled to the pair of cross-coupled transistor, the process variation and temperature change may affect the bias voltage coupled to the pair of varactors. Therefore, a bias circuit usually is used to alleviate the impact of process variation and temperature change associated with the pair of transistor. Nevertheless, the bias voltage typically is implemented by providing a current flowing through a resistor, wherein the current is generated by a current source. The noise associated with the current source will affect the performance of the VCO circuit. A low noise VCO circuit is disclosed which utilizes a low noise bias circuit. The low noise bias circuit comprises a current source, a load device and a voltage divider wherein the load device is coupled to the voltage divider in parallel. The load device may be implemented using a bipolar transistor or a diode-connected MOS device. | 02-02-2012 |
20120026407 | System and Method for Configurable Multi-standard Receiver - A configurable multi-standard receiver. A receiver comprises a mixer, a processing module and an analog to digital converter is disclosed to receive multi-standard radio signals. The processing module includes a first selection switch and first parameter control, where the first selection switch configures the processing module as a complex filter or a real-valued filter and the first parameter control configures the characteristics of the filter. Furthermore, the analog to digital converted is preferably implemented using sigma delta modulation to achieve a desired noise shaping. The sigma delta modulation comprises a second selection switch and second parameter control. The second selection switch configures the sigma delta modulation to function as a unit having a complex loop filter or a unit having real-valued loop filters. The second parameter control configures the characteristics of the loop filter. The settings for the first and second selection switches and the first and second control parameters may be stored in a control register. | 02-02-2012 |
20120034895 | Circuit and Method for Peak Detection with Hysteresis - In a communication system, the signal received or transmitted is required to be maintained within a range for proper operation. For example, a radio frequency signal received from an antenna is usually amplified by a low-noise amplifier (LNA) with adjustable gain. The input RF signal is properly amplified by the LNA further processing by subsequently receive path of the receiver. A peak detector may be used to detect the peak amplitude of the amplified input and provides a proper gain for the LNA. The detected peak amplitude may be affected by the noises which may inadvertently cause the gain control to fluctuate randomly. In order to avoid the above issues, some hysteresis has to be built into the peak detection so that the gain control will not be so sensitive to the noise. The present invention discloses a system and method for peak detection with accurate hysteresis. The peak detection uses a high threshold path and a low threshold path to derive the high and low thresholds for gain control with hysteresis. The high threshold path and the low threshold path use pre-amplifiers with different gain factors to amplify low level signals to overcome the non-linearity issue of input-output transfer characteristic of the peak detectors and consequently results in a peak detection system with accurate hysteresis. | 02-09-2012 |
20120082067 | SYSTEM AND METHOD OF DUPLEX WIRELESS AUDIO LINK OVER BROADCAST CHANNELS - A device and method of duplex audio communication over a broadcast channel are disclosed. Low-power transmission over a broadcast channel is permissible for personal use as long as the transmitted power level is below a level allowed by respective regulatory. For example, low-power FM transmitter can be used to provide a wireless audio link between two audio devices. One such application scenario is a wireless speakerphone used as an audio extension from a cellphone for group conference purposes. Such applications face issues of potential interference from other users of the same channel and the need of manually selecting and tuning a pair of channels. The device and method disclosed in the present invention use the clear channel technique to automatically select an un-occupied channel for the transmit side and utilizes an identification embedded in a sub-channel to allow the receiver to automatically tune to the channel used by the transmitter. The clear channels may be determined by respective transceivers or determined by a master transceiver. | 04-05-2012 |
20120238228 | Radio Transmitter and Radio Receiver with Channel Condition Assessment - FM radio transmitter is being widely used in portable devices as a convenient way to output audio contents to ubiquitously available FM radio receivers in cars or homes. However, the signal from the FM radio transmitter may be interfering with the signal being broadcast by an FM radio station. A scan system is incorporated into the FM radio transmitter to quickly and reliably identify a vacant channel for the FM radio transmitter to use. The scan system measures on-channel and out-of-channel signal quality and selects a best channel for transmission based on the measured on-channel and out-of-channel signal quality. The scan system is also incorporated into an FM radio receiver to quickly and reliably tune to a valid channel. The scan system selects the valid channel based on the measured on-channel and out-of-channel signal quality. | 09-20-2012 |
20130171947 | SYSTEM AND METHOD OF DUPLEX WIRELESS AUDIO LINK OVER BROADCAST CHANNELS - A device and method of duplex audio communication over a broadcast channel are disclosed. The device and method disclosed in the present invention use the clear channel technique to automatically select an un-occupied channel for the transmit side and utilizes an identification embedded in a sub-channel to allow the receiver to automatically tune to the channel used by the transmitter. The clear channels may be determined by respective transceivers or determined by a master transceiver. | 07-04-2013 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20110158271 | LASER RESONATOR GAIN MEDIUM SECUREMENT - A laser resonator comprises a cylindrical gain medium, a cooling system and a coupling member. The cylindrical gain medium comprises a central axis, an outer side surface, two opposing end faces and a first depression in the outer side surface. The cooling system comprises a cooling jacket disposed around the gain medium that defines a cooling cavity, in which cooling fluid is guided over the side surface of the gain medium. In one embodiment, the cooling jacket comprises a second depression. The coupling member is received within the first and second depressions. Movement of the first depression along the central axis relative to the cooling jacket is restricted by the coupling member. | 06-30-2011 |
20110164649 | LASER SYSTEM HAVING SWITCHABLE POWER MODES - A pump module comprises a power source, a plurality of laser diodes, a controller and light combining optics. The laser diodes each have an activated state and a deactivated state. The laser diodes receive current from the power source and output light when in the activated state and do not receive current from the power source when in the deactivated state. The controller switches the plurality of laser diodes from a first power mode, in which a first subset of the laser diodes is in the activated state, to a second power mode, in which a second subset of the laser diodes is in the activated state, responsive to a power mode setting. The light combining optics are configured to combine the light from the activated laser diodes and output the combined light as pump energy. | 07-07-2011 |
20130250984 | LASER ELEMENT HAVING A THERMALLY CONDUCTIVE JACKET - A laser element includes a laser rod and a thermally conductive jacket on an exterior surface of the laser rod. The thermally conductive jacket assists in dissipating heat generated in the laser rod during the application of pump energy to the laser rod. | 09-26-2013 |
20130250985 | LASER SYSTEM CHILLER - A laser system includes a laser element, a pump source configured to input light to the laser element, a first cooling circuit and a second cooling circuit. The first cooling circuit includes a first pump configured to drive a first flow of cooling liquid through a first fluid pathway, a first primary heat exchanger configured to cool the first flow of cooling liquid, and a laser element heat exchanger configured to remove heat from the laser element using the first flow of cooling liquid. The second cooling circuit includes a second pump configured to drive a flow of cooling liquid through a second fluid pathway, a second primary heat exchanger configured to cool the second flow of cooling liquid, and a pump source heat exchanger configured to remove heat from the pump source using the first and second flows of cooling liquid. | 09-26-2013 |
20150188279 | LASER SYSTEM CHILLER - A laser system includes a laser element, a pump source configured to input light to the laser element, a first heat exchanger, a pump source heat exchanger, a laser element heat exchanger, and a pump. The first heat exchanger is configured to cool a first flow of cooling liquid. The pump source heat exchanger is configured to remove heat from the pump source using the first flow of cooling liquid. The laser element heat exchanger is configured to remove heat from the laser element using a second flow of cooling liquid. The pump is configured to drive the first and second flows of cooling liquid. | 07-02-2015 |
20150230864 | LASER ABLATION WITH ELECTROMAGNETIC ENERGY FEEDBACK - Embodiments of a surgical laser system comprise a laser source, a laser fiber, a photodetector and a controller. The laser source is configured to generate laser energy. The laser fiber is optically coupled to the laser source and is configured to discharge the laser energy generated by the laser source. The photodetector is configured to generate an output signal that is indicative of an intensity level of electromagnetic energy feedback that is produced in response to the discharge of the laser energy. The controller is configured to control the laser source based on the output signal. | 08-20-2015 |
20150263480 | LASER SYSTEM HAVING SWITCHABLE POWER MODES - In a method, a laser pump module is set to a first power mode and pump energy is output at a first power level through the activation of a first subset of laser diodes. Laser light is emitted from a gain medium at the first power level in response to absorption of the pump energy. An operator input corresponding to a power mode setting is received. The laser pump module is switched to a second power mode and pump energy is output at a second power level through the activation of a second subset of the laser diodes. Laser light is emitted from the gain medium at the second power level in response to absorption of the pump energy. | 09-17-2015 |
20150272674 | DUAL WAVELENGTH LASER LITHOTRIPSY - A laser lithotripsy method for fragmenting a kidney or bladder stone in a patient is provided. The method includes delivering a first laser energy having a first wavelength to the stone. The stone is heated in response to the delivery of the first laser energy to the stone. The method also includes delivering a second laser energy to the stone having a second wavelength that has a higher absorption by the stone or the fluid surrounding the stone than the first wavelength. The stone is fragmented in response to the delivery of the second laser energy to the stone. | 10-01-2015 |
20150272676 | SURGICAL LASER SYSTEM AND LASER FIBER - An optical device including an optical fiber having a longitudinal axis and an optical fiber core with a distal end having a distal terminating end configured to discharge a first laser energy in a first direction and a second laser energy in a second direction. The optical device also includes a fiber cap having an interior cavity and an opening to the interior cavity, where the distal end of the optical fiber core is received within the interior cavity through the opening. A cladding is included on the distal end of the optical fiber core between the optical fiber core and the fiber cap. | 10-01-2015 |
20150289937 | SURGICAL LASER SYSTEMS AND LASER LITHOTRIPSY TECHNIQUES - A surgical laser system includes a first laser source, a second laser source, a beam combiner and a laser probe. The first laser source is configured to output a first laser pulse train comprising first laser pulses. The second laser source is configured to output a second laser pulse train comprising second laser pulses. The beam combiner is configured to combine the first and second laser pulse trains and output a combined laser pulse train comprising the first and second laser pulses. The laser probe is optically coupled to an output of the beam combiner and is configured to discharge the combined laser pulse train. | 10-15-2015 |
20160081749 | SURGICAL LASER SYSTEMS AND LASER LITHOTRIPSY TECHNIQUES - A laser fiber for use in performing a medical laser treatment includes an optical fiber and a fiber tip. The optical fiber includes a terminating end surface at a distal end. The fiber tip is positioned at the distal end of the optical fiber and includes a transmissive portion and a spacer portion. Laser energy discharged from the terminating end surface of the optical fiber is transmitted through the transmissive portion. The spacer portion defines a distal terminating end of the fiber tip that is spaced a predetermined distance from the terminating end surface of the optical fiber. The predetermined distance is set for shock wave generation for calculus destruction at the distal terminating end of the fiber tip. | 03-24-2016 |
20160135892 | SURGICAL LASER SYSTEMS AND LASER DEVICES - A surgical laser system includes an array of laser diodes that are configured to output laser energy, a fiber bundle, a delivery fiber, and a tubular sheath. The fiber bundle includes a plurality of optical fibers and has a proximal end that is configured to receive laser energy from the array of laser diodes. The delivery fiber includes a proximal end that is configured to receive laser energy from a distal end of the fiber bundle. The tubular sheath defines a lumen, in which at least a portion of the delivery fiber is disposed. The tubular sheath is insertable into a working channel of an endoscope or a cystoscope. A distal end of the tubular sheath is configured to deliver laser energy discharged from the delivery fiber into a body of a patient. | 05-19-2016 |