Patent classifications
H03F2200/102
SIGNAL PROCESSING CIRCUIT, RADIO FREQUENCY SIGNAL TRANSMITTER, AND COMMUNICATIONS DEVICE
Embodiments of this application disclose a signal processing circuit, a radio frequency signal transmitter, and a communications device, and relate to the field of electronic device technologies, to improve power amplification efficiency of the signal processing circuit. The signal processing circuit includes: a splitter, a radio frequency signal converter, a first branch power amplifier, a second branch power amplifier, and a combiner. The splitter is connected to the radio frequency signal converter, the radio frequency signal converter is connected to the first branch power amplifier and the second branch power amplifier, and the first branch power amplifier and the second branch power amplifier are connected to the combiner.
DUAL-INPUT VOLTAGE MEMORY DIGITAL PRE-DISTORTION CIRCUIT AND RELATED ENVELOPE TRACKING APPARATUS
A dual-input voltage memory digital pre-distortion (mDPD) circuit and related ET apparatus are provided. In examples discussed herein, an ET apparatus includes an amplifier circuit(s) configured to amplify a radio frequency (RF) signal based on an ET voltage. A tracker circuit is configured to generate the ET voltage based on a number of target voltage amplitudes derived from a number of signal amplitudes of the RF signal. However, the tracker circuit can cause the ET voltage to deviate from the target voltage amplitudes due to various inherent impedance variations, particularly at a higher modulation bandwidth. In this regard, a dual-input voltage mDPD circuit is configured to digitally pre-distort the target voltage amplitudes based on the signal amplitudes such that the ET voltage can closely track the target voltage amplitudes. As such, it is possible to mitigate ET voltage deviation, thus helping to improve overall linearity performance of the ET apparatus.
DUAL-MODULATION POWER MANAGEMENT CIRCUIT
The present disclosure relates to a dual-modulation power management circuit (PMC), which includes a first tracking amplifier coupled to a first voltage port and configured to contribute to a first modulated voltage at the first voltage port, a second tracking amplifier coupled to a second voltage port and configured to contribute to a second modulated voltage at the second voltage port, a charge pump, a power inductor, and a low-dropout (LDO) switch unit. Herein, the power inductor is configured to induce an output current, which is based on a boosted voltage generated by the charge pump, toward the first voltage port. A first portion of the output current is eligible to flow through the LDO switch unit from the first voltage port to the second voltage port. The first modulated voltage is not smaller than the second modulated voltage over time.
DC-to-DC converter block, converter, and envelope tracking system
A DC-to-DC converter block with multiple supply voltages includes a power circuit, the power circuit including N depletion-mode HEMT transistors (T3_1, T3_2, T3_N), N being a natural number greater than or equal to 3. The DC-to-DC converter block also includes a gate drive circuit for the N depletion-mode HEMT transistors (T3_1, T3_2, T3_N) of the power circuit, the drive circuit including depletion-mode HEMT transistors (T1_1, T2_1, T1_2, T2_2, T1_N, T2_N) configured to drive the gates of the N depletion-mode HEMT transistors (T3_1, T3_2, T3_N) of the power circuit, and the power circuit being powered by N positive and non-zero supply voltages, namely a lower supply voltage (VDD_1), an upper supply voltage (VDD_N), and (N2) intermediate supply voltages (VDD_2) distributed between the lower (VDD_1) and upper (VDD_N) supply voltages.
Multi-mode envelope tracking amplifier circuit
A multi-mode envelope tracking (ET) amplifier circuit is provided. The multi-mode ET amplifier circuit can operate in a low-resource block (RB) mode, a mid-RB mode, and a high-RB mode. The multi-mode ET amplifier circuit includes fast switcher circuitry having a first switcher path and a second switcher path and configured to generate an alternating current (AC) current. A control circuit activates the fast switcher circuitry in the mid-RB mode and the high-RB mode, while deactivating the fast switcher circuitry in the low-RB mode. More specifically, the control circuit selectively activates one of the first switcher path and the second switcher path in the mid-RB mode and activates both the first switcher path and the second switcher path in the high-RB mode. As a result, it is possible to improve efficiency of ET tracker circuitry and the multi-mode ET amplifier circuit in all operation modes.
Envelope tracking amplifier apparatus
An envelope tracking (ET) amplifier apparatus is provided. The ET amplifier apparatus includes an amplifier circuit configured to amplify a radio frequency (RF) signal based on a modulated voltage. In examples discussed herein, the amplifier circuit is co-located with a local voltage amplifier circuit configured to supply the modulated voltage such that a trace inductance between the amplifier circuit and the local voltage amplifier circuit can be reduced to below a defined threshold. By co-locating the amplifier circuit with the local voltage amplifier circuit to reduce a coupling distance between the amplifier circuit and the local voltage amplifier circuit and thus the trace inductance associated with the coupling distance, it may be possible to reduce degradation in the modulated voltage. As a result, it may be possible to improve efficiency and maintain linearity in the amplifier circuit, particularly when the RF signal is modulated at a higher modulation bandwidth.
ADAPTIVE ENVELOPE TRACKING THRESHOLD
An apparatus of a transmitter and method are provided, the apparatus comprising a processor that calculates a supply voltage (SV) value (SVV) to provide as an SV for a power amplifier (PA) of the transmitter for transmissions during a transmission time slot (TS). When the SV<an envelope tracking (ET) threshold (ETT), then the processor configures the PA to transmit a signal in an average power tracking (APT) mode that maintains the SV at the SVV during the TS. When the SVETT, and an APT condition is met, then the processor configures the PA to transmit the signal in the APT mode. When the SVETT, and the APT condition is not met, then the processor transmits by an adjustment to the SVV to track an amplitude modulation envelope during the TS in an ET mode.
VOLTAGE REGULATION SYSTEMS AND METHODS WITH ADJUSTABLE BOOST AND STEP-DOWN REGULATION
Systems, methods, and circuitries are provided for generating supply voltages for a power amplifier in a digital envelope tracking system. In one example, a voltage generation circuitry converts a source voltage into a supply voltage based on a target voltage. The voltage regulation circuitry includes an adjustable boost circuitry that multiplies the source voltage to generate an input voltage having a voltage equal to or greater than the source voltage and a step-down regulator circuitry that regulates the input voltage to generate a regulated output voltage having a voltage that is less than or equal to the input voltage. A voltage splitter circuitry is coupled to the regulated output voltage and is configured to generate at least one derived output voltage from the regulated output voltage. A supply modulator provides a selected one of the at least one derived output voltage to a power amplifier.
Distributed feed-forward envelope tracking system
Systems, methods, and circuitries are provided for generating a power amplifier supply voltage based on a target envelope signal for a radio frequency (RF) transmit signal. An envelope tracking system includes a first selector circuitry and predistortion circuitry. The first selector circuitry is disposed in a selector module and is configured to input a plurality of voltages conducted on a first plurality of power lanes, wherein the first plurality of power lanes is part of a power distribution network; select a voltage from the plurality of voltages based on the target envelope signal; and provide the selected voltage to a supply lane connected to an input of the power amplifier that amplifies the RF transmit signal. The predistortion circuitry is configured to modify the RF transmit signal based on a selected power lane of the first plurality of power lanes that conducts the selected voltage.
Amplifiers for radio-frequency applications
Amplifiers for radio-frequency applications. In some embodiments, a power amplifier die can include a semiconductor substrate and a plurality of narrow band power amplifiers implemented on the semiconductor substrate. Each narrow band power amplifier can be configured to operate with a high voltage in an average power tracking mode and be capable of being coupled to an output filter associated with a respective individual frequency band. Each narrow band power amplifier can be sized smaller than a wide band power amplifier configured to operate with more than one of the frequency bands associated with the plurality of narrow band power amplifiers.