|
| Wednesday, 10 February 2010, 13:03 HKT/SGT | |
| |  | |
Source: Fujitsu Ltd | |
|
|
|
KAWASAKI, Japan, Feb 10, 2010 - (ACN Newswire) - Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd. today announced the development of a new frequency-synthesizer(1) designed specifically for tuners(2) for terrestrial digital television broadcast reception, which features an innovative circuit design that enables the reduction of circuit size to one-third (1/3) that of conventional circuits, and eliminates the need for external components. The new frequency-synthesizer will allow for more compact and power-efficient terrestrial digital TV broadcast reception tuners, paving the way for future development of compact dual-tuners.
Details of this technology were presented at the IEEE International Solid-State Circuits Conference 2010 (ISSCC 2010) being held in San Francisco from February 7-11. (Presentation number: 13.3)
Background
Tuners used in televisions and mobile phones in Japan receive radio signals from broadcast towers and extract audio-visual data from those signals. Due to the fact that each channel transmitted by a broadcast tower occupies a different frequency, the tuners must use a frequency-synthesizer to generate a clock signal equivalent to the frequency of the channel the viewer wishes to watch. (Figure 1)
In Japan, the scheduled transition from analog TV broadcasts to digital TV (scheduled for July 2011) has heightened the demand for a frequency-synthesizer specifically designed for use in terrestrial digital broadcasting.
Technological Challenges
In Japan, the popularity of "1seg" broadcasts viewed via mobile phones has led to needs for terrestrial digital TV broadcast tuners that are compact and which can operate on low power. In addition, there is also growing anticipation for mobile phones equipped with dual-tuners, which will enable simultaneous recording of multiple TV programs and quicker channel scanning. Synthesizers, a major component in these tuners, have typically used delta-sigma modulation in a fractional multiples method. However, this conventional method has required an external filter circuit to suppress the noise that can impair the tuner's reception sensitivity - the need for such external filters is an obstacle to miniaturizing the module. Furthermore, with the conventional delta-sigma modulation/fractional multiples method (Figure 2), in order to create a dual-tuner, two (2) external filters are required, thus further increasing the size of the module.
Newly-developed Technology
Fujitsu Laboratories has developed a new frequency-synthesizer tailored specifically for reception of terrestrial digital TV broadcasts (Figure 3) - the innovative frequency-synthesizer makes it possible to simultaneously realize noise suppression and scaling of tuners for terrestrial digital TV broadcasts.
Key elements of the new frequency-synthesizer are as follows:
Designed specifically for terrestrial digital TV broadcasting, the new frequency synthesizer uses a "circulating register" modulator, which has lower noise than conventional delta-sigma modulators.
Terrestrial digital TV broadcasts in Japan consist of 14 segments occupying 6 MHz of bandwidth: 12 segments for TV, one segment for "1seg" mobile phone broadcasts, and one segment left empty. Thus, the terrestrial digital TV broadcast channels are spaced by 6/14ths, or 3/7ths of 1 MHz; therefore the ability to generate a clock signal at 3/7th MHz intervals allows all of the channels to be received.
The new "circulating registers" modulator from Fujitsu Laboratories features an innovative circuit design in which seven (7) registers are lined up in parallel, resulting in accurate reception of 3/7th MHz frequency intervals that are used in terrestrial digital TV broadcasts in Japan, which makes possible an efficient 1/7th MHz multiplier needed for terrestrial digital TV broadcasts in Japan. These factors enable noise suppression, thus eliminating the need for an external filter circuit and resulting in a more compact frequency-synthesizer. (Figure 4)
Results
This new technology obviates the need for external components for the frequency-synthesizer, and reduces the circuit size to one-third (1/3) that of previous circuits. In order to verify the effectiveness of the newly-developed technology, Fujitsu Laboratories developed a prototype frequency-synthesizer made using 65-nm CMOS process technology (Figure 5). With the prototype frequency-synthesizer, noise was reduced to a level in which such noise can be safely disregarded (Figure 6).
Future Developments
Fujitsu Laboratories plans to proceed with further development of the frequency-synthesizer for advanced CMOS process technology applications, striving for use of the frequency-synthesizer in a variety of tuner products.
Glossary and Notes
1 Frequency-synthesizer:An oscillator used in nearly every device that receives radio signals, including television and radio tuners, mobile phones, and cordless phones.
2 Tuner:Circuitry that tunes a television or radio, allowing it to receive the selected frequency or channel.
Contact:
Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd.
Design Solutions Lab.
Platform Technologies Lab.
Tel: +45-755-7080
E-mail:pll-pr@ml.labs.fujitsu.com
Topic: Press release summary
Source: Fujitsu Ltd
Sectors: Electronics
http://www.acnnewswire.com
From the Asia Corporate News Network
Copyright © 2024 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. A division of Asia Corporate News Network.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Fujitsu Ltd |
| Oct 18, 2024 09:38 HKT/SGT |
|
Fujitsu and Teikyo University begin joint research on UX platform for promotion of lifestyle improvement using XR, spatial computing, and generative AI |
| Oct 16, 2024 11:35 HKT/SGT |
|
Fujitsu to combat fake news in collaboration with leading Japanese organizations |
| Oct 15, 2024 13:08 HKT/SGT |
|
Fujitsu implements global launch of world's first AI application to prevent quality degradation in 5G wireless networks |
| Oct 9, 2024 10:00 HKT/SGT |
|
Fujitsu leverages data to secure stable and efficient power supply for Kansai Transmission and Distribution |
| Oct 4, 2024 10:03 HKT/SGT |
|
Fujitsu highlights technologies to realize its vision of AI as a trusted assistant at CEATEC 2024 |
| Oct 3, 2024 08:38 HKT/SGT |
|
Fujitsu and Supermicro announce strategic collaboration to develop green AI computing technology and liquid-cooled datacenter solutions |
| Sept 30, 2024 13:05 HKT/SGT |
|
Fujitsu launches "Takane" - A large language model for enterprises offering the highest Japanese language proficiency in the world |
| Sept 19, 2024 09:31 HKT/SGT |
|
Fujitsu and Stellar Science Foundation form partnership agreement to foster innovation by supporting young researchers |
| Sept 18, 2024 10:28 HKT/SGT |
|
IHI, Fujitsu, and Mizuho Bank form agreement to launch joint business venture to provide total support scheme for J-Credit |
| Sept 5, 2024 09:40 HKT/SGT |
|
Fujitsu and MoBagel revolutionize business processes through accelerated AI prediction |
| More news >> |
 |
|
|
|
