Patent Abstract:
An improved frequency modulator apparatus for use in phase-locked loop (PLL) frequency synthesizers is disclosed which makes possible high deviation, low distortion, FM signals for a wide range of modulating signals, such as digital data or low frequency tone modulation. In a first embodiment having the improved frequency modulator, this apparatus advantageously injects the modulation signal into two ports, one at the VCO and the other provided in an unmodulated reference source signal chain. By properly balancing the levels into each of these two ports, a cancellation effect occurs which nulls the modulation signal at the output of the phase detector. In a second embodiment, the improved frequency modulator is incorporated in a PLL frequency synthesizer with an offset mixer to achieve relatively wide percentage deviation at a low frequency RF carrier. In a third embodiment, the improved frequency modulator is incorporated in a PLL synthesizer in its feedback loop so as to cancel the modulation components before they reach the phase detector. Thus, in the first two embodiments, the added phase modulator is inserted in the reference source signal path to the phase detector, while in the alternate third embodiment, the phase modulator is inserted into the feedback path and includes a phase inverter stage to correct for the inherent modulation polarity reversal.

Full Description:
This application is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 755,257, filed July 15, 1985 and now abandoned. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates generally to modulated frequency synthesizers, and more particularly to an improved method and arrangement for modulating phase-locked loop frequency synthesizers. This arrangement can accommodate voice signals as well as digital data or low frequency tone modulation and can produce high deviation, FM (frequency modulated) signals with very low distortion, while exhibiting a flat, wide, modulation bandwidth that is independent of the phase-locked loop bandwidth. 
     Today&#39;s communications systems require efficient use of the crowded radio spectrum, especially in congested metropolitan areas. To achieve efficient use of this limited congested spectrum, modern communications systems use elaborate data and tone-coded signalling schemes, such as Private Line (PL) and Digital Private Line (DPL) available in radios from Motorola, Inc., which force greater performance from the overall transmitter design. That is, they are expected to be able to utilize the available modulation bandwidth down to nearly DC, (or at least to under 1 Hz), as well as beyond voice frequencies. In addition, such transmitters are expected to maintain their carrier frequency with high stability and yet offer fast lock time and wide deviation capability with very low distortion, all of which have an impact on the manner in which the transmitter can be modulated. The above problems are exacerbated when attempting to design a transmitter for a relatively low radio frequency (RF) carrier, since there are few schemes for achieving relatively large percentage deviations of the RF carrier, and there are even fewer schemes which achieve the needed deviation with low distortion. 
     In any event, certain general techniques have been developed which address two of the three constraints by providing the desired carrier frequency stability and generally utilize a high stability unmodulated reference oscillator in conjunction with a phase-locked loop frequency synthesizer. Because these phase-locked loop arrangements generally include a frequency divider in the loop feedback path, they provide a way in which to effect wide output deviation. 
     One known improvement utilizing dual port modulation of a frequency synthesizer loop simultaneously applies modulation to both the input of a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) and through a summing network to the output of a phase detector such that a cancellation of the two signals occurs without disrupting the error voltage normally outputted from the phase detector. This achieves wide deviation capability for a modulating signal while maintaining a high degree of frequency stability. Although such an arrangement achieves cancellation of the modulation components in the error voltage sent to the VCO and is suitable for some system designs, it nevertheless suffers from two serious drawbacks. 
     The first disadvantage is that any gain variations with temperature (especially for the phase detector) will adversely affect the modulation sensitivity. Moreover, if high modulation sensitivities are used, any variation in gain can be significant. This is because it is difficult to balance the two modulation ports when wide bandwidths are needed. What is meant by &#34;balance&#34; is that the designer insures that each modulation port individually provides the same magnitude of deviation sensitivity, or peak frequency deviation per volts of modulation signal, and further, that each modulation port individually causes the same direction of deviation (positive or negative) in order to effect cancellation in the phase detector. 
     A second disadvantage of such an arrangement involves the time relationship of the two modulation components so induced. That is, the inputted reference modulation must be delayed in a suitable delay network so that it is maintained in phase synchronism with the VCO modulation components, in order to insure that complete cancellation occurs at the output of the summing network. A possible embodiment for this delay network is a sample and hold network. Without such a delay network, the frequency synthesizer will suffer degradation to data modulation, especially when relatively fast data rates are utilized. There will also be additional spurious output sidebands generated when attempting to utilize fast data rates without the benefit of such a suitable delay network. This correspondingly greater spurious output requires additional attenuation in the loop filter to prevent degrading the synthesizer&#39;s spurious output performance still further. But this forces the response time of the loop to be even slower. 
     A second known arrangement utilizes a slightly different scheme of dual port modulation for a frequency synthesizer by feeding the modulating signal in at the VCO and ahead of the phase detector, but is deficient in that it does not utilize the full modulation bandwidth that theoretically is available. Such a capability, especially at low modulating frequencies, is needed to make better use of the limited resources of frequency bands and modulation bandwidths dictated by ever-narrower channel bandwidths available for land mobile applications. This second known arrangement is only able to work effectively down to 500 Hz with 1.5% distortion, and down to 300 Hz with 5% distortion. Thus, utilizing such an arrangement wastes nearly 500 Hz of precious modulation bandwidth due to the unacceptably high distortion that results. Each of the disadvantages listed above leads to serious compromises in frequency synthesizer system performance, all of which are undesirable and wasteful. 
     Accordingly, there exists a need for an improved frequency modulation arrangement for a phase-locked loop frequency synthesizer which is able to accommodate voice signals as well as digital data or low frequency tone modulation with very low distortion, such that it can produce high deviation, FM signals while exhibiting a flat, wide, modulation bandwidth, down to approximately 1 Hz (and thus nearly equal to the theoretical maximum bandwidth). There exists a further need to provide the above mentioned capability in a transmitter having a low frequency RF carrier. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved, frequency modulation arrangement for a phase-locked loop frequency synthesizer having high stability such that it has a wide deviation capability which is nearly equal to the theoretical maximum modulation bandwidth. 
     It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved frequency modulation arrangement for a phase-locked loop frequency synthesizer of the foregoing type such that it has wide deviation capability and very low distortion so that the modulation bandwidth is nearly equal to the theoretical maximum bandwidth. 
     It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved frequency modulation arrangement of the foregoing type which is essential for use in a transmitter having a low frequency RF carrier, and requiring a relatively large percentage deviation capability. 
     It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved serrasoid phase modulator which, when utilized with an integrator, permits low frequency modulating signals of less than 1 Hz to effect low distortion FM, so as to nearly equal the low frequency, low distortion performance characteristics of a direct-FM modulated VCO. 
     In practicing one form of the invention, a particular frequency modulator arrangement is added to modulate the signal coming from an included high stability unmodulated reference oscillator within a phase-locked loop frequency synthesizer. With this frequency modulator cooperating with the modulated VCO, wide deviation over the full modulation bandwidth is possible. The wide deviation capability arises from the multiplication effect of modulating the signal occurring at the divided-down frequency outputted by the selectable-integer loop divider. Thus, the modulation information is injected at two separate ports within the phase-locked loop frequency synthesizer. The first port is at the input of the VCO, while the second port feeds a frequency modulator consisting of a particular improved form of serrasoid phase modulator interposed between the output of the fixed divider and the reference signal input of the phase detector. A serrasoid phase modulator is one which creates a sawtooth output waveform in which the modulating signal affects the time occurrences of zero crossings on either the rising or falling edges of the inputted reference signal. In the present invention, it also includes a comparator on the output to permit a square waveform to be generated. Furthermore, by placing an integrator network ahead of the serrasoid phase modulator, frequency modulation is effected. As will be seen, the present invention accomplishes frequency modulation of the reference signal by modulating the critical, or rising, edge of the output of the reference divider before it is applied to the phase detector. Prior phase modulators were only able to accomplish 1.5% distortion at 500 Hz, degrading to 5% distortion at 300 Hz. By contrast, the phase modulator according to the present invention is able to handle a wide range of modulating signals, including tones as low as 1 Hz, through normal voice frequencies, to relatively high digital data frequencies, with relatively low distortion. The present invention has measured performance which exhibits less than 0.2% distortion at 30 Hz with 8 KHz of deviation (4 KHz peak deviation). This distortion measurement is usually conducted according to EIA standards which measure the desired signal in the presence of noise and distortion (SINAD). The modulation information inputted to the phase modulator is, of course, integrated in order to produce frequency modulation of the reference signal. The other port accomplishes direct FM of the VCO in a manner (or polarity) the same as that induced by the reference modulator so that the modulated output signal fed back through the loop divider nulls, or cancels, with the modulated reference signal within the phase detector of the phase-locked loop. Thus it should be evident that the goal is to make the phase modulator capable of nearly the same performance as that of the direct-FM VCO, especially with regard to noise and distortion at low frequencies. 
     An alternate form of phase-locked loop employing the present invention utilizes the frequency modulator in the feedback path between the loop divider and the phase detector (in conjunction with a phase inverter) to achieve cancellation of the modulation components before they reach the phase detector. Each of these two port modulation systems has a widened usable bandwidth resulting from the improved distortion characteristics of the serrasoid phase modulator, while still exhibiting an essentially flat modulation frequency response as well as the widened deviation capability given by the factor N of the loop divider. Moreover, the modulation bandwidths may be set independently of the loop bandwidth. 
     These and other objects of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the accompanying specification, claims, and drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     Referring to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals indicate like elements in the several figures and in which: 
     FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a frequency modulator arrangement for a frequency synthesizer according to the known art. 
     FIG. 2 is a more detailed block diagram of a frequency modulator arrangement for a frequency synthesizer according to the known art having an included fixed divider in the reference frequency chain before the phase detector. 
     FIG. 3 is a functional representation of a typical serrasoid phase modulator according to the known art. 
     FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a frequency modulator arrangement for a frequency synthesizer according to the present invention. 
     FIG. 5 is an illustration of the modulation spectral bandwidths resulting when attempting to transmit baseband information (a) according to the teachings of the prior art (b), in contrast to the teachings of the present invention (c). 
     FIG. 6a is a schematic diagram of the improved frequency modulator according to the present invention. 
     FIG. 6b illustrates signal diagrams showing the function of the improved frequency modulator as represented in FIG. 6a. 
     FIG. 7 is a preferred embodiment of a phase-locked loop frequency synthesizer employing the improved serrasoid phase modulator of the present invention and including an offset for generating relatively large percentage deviation FM signals at a relatively low frequency RF carrier. 
     FIG. 8 is a configuration similar to FIG. 4 for a phase-locked loop frequency synthesizer except that it utilizes a modulation phase inverter in conjunction with the improved serrasoid phase modulator in the feedback path between the loop divider and the phase detector. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Referring now to the drawings, a basic phase-locked loop (or PLL) frequency synthesizer arrangement 10 is shown in FIG. 1 which includes a two-port modulation capability, according to the known art. This PLL synthesizer arrangement exhibits a single output frequency and consists of a reference source 12, a frequency modulator 14, a phase detector 16, a voltage controlled oscillator (or VCO) 18 having an output 20, a portion of which is fed back to phase detector 16. The modulating signal enters at 22 and is fed to each of the two ports, 24 and 26, so as to modulate the frequency of output 20. Intervening stage 25 provides gain and frequency shape adjustment. Thus, by using this two-port modulation arrangement on a PLL frequency synthesizer, cancellation of the two modulating signals at the output of phase detector 16 results for a single output frequency. 
     A more useful embodiment of a modulated PLL frequency synthesizer arrangement is depicted at 30 that provides a number of different output frequencies such as are needed in multi-channel transmitter or transceiver, as shown in FIG. 2. Like numerals are employed for corresponding components wherever applicable. In this embodiment, the PLL consists of a reference source 12, a frequency modulator 14, a phase detector 16, and a VCO 18 having an output 20, as shown. Here, reference source 12 includes reference oscillator 32 and fixed-integer frequency divider 34. Frequency modulator 14 includes phase modulator 36 with integrator 38 at the frequency modulator input port 24. Between phase detector 16 and VCO 18, is loop filter 40, as shown. Connected in the output feedback path from VCO 18 back to phase detector 16 is selectable-integer frequency divider 42, as shown. This arrangement utilizes the multiplicative effect of variable-integer frequency divider 42 as well as cancellation of the modulating signals within phase detector 16 to achieve wide deviation with low distortion at output 20 for modulating frequencies between 300 Hertz (Hz) and 4 KHz, or voice frequencies. Arrangement 30 of FIG. 2 allows the modulation signal bandwidth to be set independently of the requirement for the loop bandwidth, which is controlled by means of loop filter 40. More particularly, phase use of loop divider 42 provides the capability of magnifying the effective deviation by the divider variable &#34;N&#34;, since the loop attempts to maintain a constant error signal by cancellation of the modulating signals at the output of phase detector 16. 
     FIG. 3 depicts a basic diagram of a typical phase modulator 36, according to the known art, which is of the serrasoid type. A switch 44, acted upon by a combination of signals, including reference frequency f r , creates a pulse stream at the periodic rate of f r  having a voltage ramp on the critical, or rising, edge due to current source 46 and capacitor storage element 48. This pulse stream signal is compared with the value of the modulation signal 50 (plus a DC bias voltage 52) in connection with comparator 54. The output of comparator 54 clears D-type latch 55a which has inverter 55b connected to its clock input. The output of D-type latch 55a produces V&#39; which represents the resultant modulated reference signal f r  &#39; at output 56. According to the known art, serrasoid modulator 36 modulates the trip voltage of comparator 54 such that the critical or rising edge of the output waveform at 56 shifts. 
     A two-port modulation arrangement employing the present invention is shown at 30&#39; in FIG. 4. As shown, it includes a reference source 12, a modified frequency modulator 14&#39;, a VCO 18 having an output 20, a modulation input 22 feeding two ports, 24 and 26, with port 26 including an additional signal adjustment stage 25 as shown. Here, the modified frequency modulator 14&#39; includes a particular serrasoid phase modulator 60, with a modified integrator 38&#39;, as shown. The PLL also includes loop filter 40, and selectable-integer frequency divider 42. The benefits of using such an arrangement as depicted in FIG. 4 are shown in the simplified frequency domain diagrams depicted in FIG. 5. FIG. 5a shows the frequency spectrum of the input modulation which is necessary in today&#39;s modern systems employing low frequency tones, such as Private Line or Digital Private Line frequencies, and digital data, in addition to voice frequencies. FIG. 5b depicts the capability of the known modulated frequency synthesizer arrangement depicted in FIG. 2 according to the known art. FIG. 5c depicts the modulation input handling capability for the frequency modulated PLL synthesizer according to the present invention. It should be noted in FIG. 5c that the low frequency tones, represented by PL and DPL, and the digital data are able to be transmitted as well as the voice frequencies. The full frequency modulating bandwidth capability depicted in FIG. 5c approaches and nearly equals the theoretical maximum bandwidth for frequency modulated transmitters and is brought about by the improved frequency modulator 14&#39; represented in FIG. 4. 
     The details of improved frequency modulator 14&#39; are given in FIG. 6a,  as shown. The integrator 38&#39; and the improved serrasoid phase modulator 60 are shown within dashed lines. The phase modulator includes an input 55c&#39; for the reference frequency f r  from divider 34. It is applied to an electronic switch comprised of transistor 62a and 62b, having an input resistive divider 64a and 64b, and includes a supply resistor 66, as shown. Connected to electronic switch transistor 62b is capacitive storage element 48&#39;, which is fed from a passive current source having a filter section composed of resistor 68 and capacitor 70, which in turn feeds current-limiting resistor 72, as shown. Resistor 72 is chosen to be approximately one order magnitude larger than resistor 68. The node which joins resistor 72 with transistor 62b and capacitive storage element 48&#39; make up one input to a comparator consisting of transistor 74a and 74b fed from a common emitter resistor 76 as shown. The output is taken from 56&#39;, which represents f R  &#39; fed to the phase detector. Resistive divider 78, 80, provides the bias voltage for transistor 74b as well as the second input point for the comparator to which the integrator 38&#39; connects. Integrator 38&#39; consists of resistor 82 and capacitor 84 connected as shown with a DC blocking capacitor 86. The modulation input is provided at terminal 50&#39;. Upon further consideration of improved serrasoid phase modulator 60 it is evident that the components make up a voltage ramp generator utilizing the passive current source, the capacitive storage element 48&#39;, and the transistor switch 62a and 62b. If an active, or transistor, current source were used, a certain amount of shot noise would be included and would influence the voltage on capacitive element 48&#39;. Assuming a DC current source having constant current value I with noise current i N  and assuming a given ramp slope, as the voltage on capacitor 48&#39; passes through the threshold voltage associated with comparator, the amount of time jitter is proportional to i N  /I. Since the transistor current source is dominated by shot noise, 
     
         i.sub.N.sup.2 =2qI, 
    
     
         i.sub.N =(2qI).sup.1/2, 
    
     and therefore 
     
         i.sub.N /I=(2q/I).sup.1/2.                                 (1) 
    
     For the circuit as depicted at 60 in FIG. 6a, the noise associated with the resistive passive current source is related to: 
     
         v.sub.N.sup.2 =4KTR, 
    
     then 
     
         i.sub.N =v.sub.N /R=2(KT/R).sup.1/2. 
    
     Since the DC current I is given by: 
     
         I=(V.sub.r -V.sub.x)/R, 
    
     as the voltage on capacitive element 48&#39; passes through the threshold voltage V x , the value of noise associated with the passive current source is given by: ##EQU1## which equals ##EQU2## Then, for example, if: I=300 microamps, 
     V x  =3 volts, and 
     V c  =9 volts, then 
     R=6 volts/300 microamps=20K ohms, 
     and the shot noise associated with an active current source would result, according to equation (1), in a value of: 
     
         i.sub.N /I=3.27×10.sup.-8 amperes/√Hertz, 
    
     whereas a passive current source associated with using a resistor results, according to equation (2), in a value of: 
     
         i.sub.N /I=3.03×10.sup.-9 amperes/√Hertz. 
    
     Thus, the passive current source should give more than 20 dB improvement over an active current source. In the above equations, 
     q=1.6×10 -19  coulomb, or electronic charge, 
     K=1.38×10 -23  joule/degree Kelvin, (or Boltzman&#39;s constant), and 
     T=300 degrees Kelvin, in absolute temperature. 
     In the preferred embodiment of the improved frequency modulator 60 of the present invention, typical values for the passive current source, including the filter section with a corner frequency of less than 1 Hz, include: 
     Resistor 68=2.2K ohms, 
     Capacitor 70=10 microfarads, and 
     Resistor 72=20K ohms. 
     The capacitive storage element 48&#39;=0.0015 microfarads. The values for integrator 38&#39; include: 
     Resistor 82=0-200K ohms, for setting gain, and 
     Capacitor 84=22 microfarads. 
     FIG. 6b depicts four waveforms representing the input signal f r , the ramp voltage V c  (t) on the capacitive element 48&#39;, V 1  (t) representing the variable trip voltage of the comparator caused by the modulation about a fixed bias voltage V x  established by resistors 78 and 80, and finally the output signal F r  &#39; depicting movable rising, or critical, edge of the output waveform available at output 56&#39;. 
     FIG. 7 depicts at 90 another arrangement for a frequency modulated PLL synthesizer apparatus embodying the present invention. This arrangement is especially for lower frequency ranges requiring proportionally larger deviation with low distortion. As will be noted, it is similar to the PLL synthesizer depicted in FIG. 4, but takes the reference oscillator signal at 92, passes it through a multiplier 94 to the injection port 96 of an offset mixer 98 in order to offset or down-mix the modulated signal 20, which typically has less than 0.2 percent distortion at a modulating frequency of 30 Hz with 8 KHz deviation (4 KHz peak deviation) at 150-170 MHz, down to a lower frequency at output 100, while maintaining the same amount of deviation with low distortion at 30-50 MHz. Here, the fixed reference frequency divider 34 has a divisor of 2880, and multiplier 94 has a factor of 8. The circuit arrangement of FIG. 7 fulfills a long-felt need to achieve very wide deviation for very low modulating frequencies for a very low frequency range RF carrier. In this instance, where a Digital Private Line signal is needed to be transmitted in addition to voice signals, it is possible to determine the maximum peak deviation required for the DPL waveform which has a maximum length of time in either the zero or one state equal to about 44 milliseconds. Since the peak phase deviation is equal to the time integral of the peak frequency deviation integrated over a time interval, it is possible by known techniques to determine that for 750 Hertz of peak frequency deviation, one needs to be able to achieve 207 radians of peak phase deviation. This is a stark contrast to voice modulation which requires a orse case beta=5000/300, or 16.7 radians, which is quite a bit less. To illustrate the value of the new phase modulator, it is instructive to consider previous techniques for implementing phase modulators. Perhaps the most common type of phase modulators are the varactor/LC type. Unfortunately, it is not practical to implement one at 5-10 KHz. However, even when considering a 3 section varactor/LC tuned phase modulator, it is only able to achieve about 130 degrees or 2.27 radians of phase deviation with reasonable linearity. The disclosed improved phase modulator 60 incorporated within the improved frequency modulator 14&#39; is able to achieve the large phase (or frequency) peak deviation required for a reference center frequency in the region of 5 KHz to make the above PLL frequency synthesizer arrangements possible. Moreover, the improved low frequency, low noise, and high deviation performance of this improved phase modulator is a key element of the present invention. 
     Finally, an alternate embodiment of a modulated PLL frequency synthesizer apparatus embodying the present invention is depicted at 110 FIG. 8. As will be noted, it is similar to the PLL synthesizer arrangement depicted in FIG. 4, but instead utilizes the improved frequency modulator consisting of low-noise serrasoid phase modulator 60 and integrator 14&#39; with a phase inverter 112 to achieve cancellation of the modulation components in the feedback loop signal 114 before inputting this feedback signal to phase detector 16. The frequency modulated RF carrier output frequency occurs at output 116. 
     In summary, each of the above-mentioned arrangements 30&#39;, 90, and 110 is able to accomplish the frequency modulation of the PLL without losing gain balance between the two ports 24, 26 caused by variations in phase detector gain, and without the need for a delay network for maintaining proper phase synchronization of the modulated reference and modulated VCO signal components. Moreover, each of the above-mentioned arrangements 30&#39;, 90, and 110 is able to utilize the full modulation bandwidth down to less than 1 Hz and nearly approach the maximum available modulation bandwidth available by such an arrangement. Each of the above-mentioned arrangements exhibits an essentially flat, wide, modulation bandwidth that is independent of the PLL bandwidth. And, in particular, arrangement 90 is able to achieve full modulation bandwidth capabilities for very wide percentage deviation encompassing low frequency tones, digital data, as well as voice band signals for a transmitter operating with a relatively low frequency range RF carrier. Thus, each of the above arrangements, as well as the improved frequency modulator depicted in FIG. 6a, is able to overcome the limitations of the known prior art. 
     Although the several two-port synthesizer modulation arrangements of the present invention fully disclose many of the attendant advantages, it is understood that various changes and modifications not depicted herein are apparent to those skilled in the art. Therefore, even though the form of the above-described invention is merely a preferred or exemplary embodiment given with practical alternates, further variations may be made in the form, construction, and arrangement of the parts without departing from the scope of the above invention.

Technology Classification (CPC): 7