This disclosure relates to variable-gain amplifiers that include degeneration circuits configured to adapt to a gain mode that is currently being implemented. For example, a variable-gain amplifier can operate in a plurality of gain modes to amplify a signal with different levels of amplification. The variable-gain amplifier can include a gain circuit configured to amplify a signal and a degeneration circuit coupled to the gain circuit. The degeneration circuit can include an inductor and a switching-capacitive arm coupled in parallel to the inductor. The degeneration circuit can operate based on a current gain mode to change an inductance for the variable-gain amplifier.

Quadrature error correction (QEC) for radio transceivers are provided herein. In certain embodiments, a transceiver includes an in-phase (I) signal path including a first controllable amplifier coupled to a first data converter, and a quadrature-phase (Q) signal path including a second controllable amplifier coupled to a second data converter. The transceiver further includes a QEC circuit operable to correct for a quadrature error between the I signal path and the Q signal path by adjusting a gain of the first controllable amplifier and/or a gain of the second controllable amplifier.

A TX-TX pre-compensation system that estimates unwanted coupling in a victim transmit chain caused by an aggressor transmit chain and injects a pre-compensation signal to cancel out the estimated coupling. In some embodiments, a signal measurement module estimates the amplitude, phase, and envelope delay of the coupling and an isolation pre-compensation module generates the pre-compensation signal based on the estimated amplitude, the estimated phase, the estimated envelope delay, and the difference between the carrier frequencies of the transmit chains. Since the phase of the coupling may be affected by the carrier frequency of the transmit chains, in some embodiments the phase of the pre-compensation signal is adjusted in response to a change in carrier frequency. Since the amplitude of the coupling may be affected by attenuator gain settings, in some embodiments the amplitude of the pre-compensation signal may be adjusted in response to a change in attenuator gain setting.

A method for receiving data includes receiving a transmission signal through a channel, adjusting the intensity of the transmission signal to generate an adjusted transmission signal according to an analog gain level, converting the adjusted transmission signal into a digital signal, filtering the digital signal to generate a filtered signal according to a set of filter coefficients, and adjusting intensity of the filtered signal according to a digital gain level. The method further includes, in a training mode, estimating a transmission condition of the channel and adjusting the analog gain level and the digital gain level according to the transmission condition for obtaining convergent values for the set of filter coefficients before the training mode ends, and in a data mode, performing a gain adjustment operation to adjust the analog gain level and to adjust the digital gain level according to the adjustment made to the analog gain level.

Bidirectional variable gain amplifiers (VGAs) for radio frequency (RF) communication systems are provided. In certain embodiments, a bidirectional VGA includes a first amplifier having an input coupled to a transmit/receive port, a second amplifier having an output coupled to a transmit port, a third amplifier having an input coupled to a receive port, a fourth amplifier having an output coupled to the transmit/receive port and to the input of the first amplifier, and a switch circuit that connects an output of the first amplifier to an input of the second amplifier in a transmit mode, and that connects an output of the third amplifier to an input of the fourth amplifier in a receive mode.

This application is generally related to methods and systems for improving amplifier performance. For example, the system includes two or more gain and phase modulators. The system also includes two or more component amplifiers operably coupled to, and downstream of, the power splitter, where each of the two or more component amplifiers is operably coupled to a respective one of the two or more gain and phase modulators. The system further includes a power combiner operably coupled to, and downstream of, the two or more component amplifiers, configured to output a power signal. The system even further includes a Walsh generator configured to generate and transmit first and second Walsh codes to each of the two or more gain and phase modulators. The first Walsh code is orthogonal to the second Walsh code. A first set of the first and second Walsh codes is inverted with respect to a second set of the first and second Walsh codes.

A variable gain amplifier according to an embodiment comprises a first path, a matching circuit, an amplifier circuit, a second path, and a third path. The first path includes an attenuation circuit, has one end connected to a first input terminal, and attenuates an input signal and outputs an attenuated signal. The matching circuit has one end connected to the other end of the first path. The amplifier circuit has an input connected to the other end of the matching circuit and an output connected to a first output terminal, and amplifies an input signal. The second path is connected in parallel to the first path. The third path has one end connected to the first input terminal, and the other end connected to the first output terminal.

A method of regulating power supply to a speaker and a system for regulating power supply to a speaker comprising a generating of a low frequency signal output to the speaker, sensing a current and a voltage of the speaker after the low frequency signal is output to the speaker, measuring an impedance of the speaker based on the current and voltage, determining a temperature of the speaker and comparing with a threshold value, and lowering a power supply to the speaker where the temperature is above the threshold value.

Disclosed herein are signal amplifiers that include a plurality of switchable amplifier architectures so that particular gain modes can use dedicated amplifier architectures to provide desired characteristics for those gain modes, such as low noise figure or high linearity. The disclosed signal amplifier architectures provide tailored impedances using a degeneration block or matrix without using switches in the degeneration switching block. The disclosed signal amplifier architectures provide a plurality of gain modes where different gain modes use different paths through the amplifier architecture. Switches that are used to select the path through the amplifier architecture also provide targeted impedances in a degeneration block or matrix. The switches that select the gain path are provided in the amplifier architecture and are thus not needed or used in the degeneration block, thereby reducing the size of the package for the amplifier architecture.

Techniques maintaining receiver reliability, including determining a present attenuation level for an attenuator, wherein the attenuation level is set by a gain controller, determining a relative reliability threshold based on the present attenuation level, receiving a radio frequency (RF) signal, determining a voltage level of the received RF signal, comparing the voltage level of the received RF signal to the relative reliability threshold to determine that a reliability condition exists, and overriding, in response to the determination that the reliability condition exists, the present attenuation level set by the gain controller with an override attenuation level based on the present attenuation level.