Patent ID: 10374788

Abstract:
Embodiments of the disclosure relate to a phase locked loop (PLL)-less millimeter wave (mmWave) power head. The mmWave power head receives a multiplexed signal including a pilot signal at a base frequency and a communication signal at the IF frequency. The mmWave power head separates the pilot signal from the communication signal and multiplies the pilot signal to generate a local oscillator (LO) clock signal(s) at a harmonic frequency(ies) relative to the base frequency of the pilot signal. A selected LO clock signal is provided to a mixer circuit(s) for up and down conversions between the IF frequency and the mmWave carrier frequency. By eliminating the PLL frequency synthesizer from the mmWave power head, it is possible to avoid spur and coupling issues associated with collocating the PLL frequency synthesizer with an antenna front end module (FEM), thus helping to improve reliability and performance of the mmWave power head.