Radio frequency generator including pulse generator circuit to provide complex RF pulse pattern
AssigneeXP Power Limited
InventorPaul Rummel
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A radio frequency (RF) generator includes a pulse generator circuit configured to receive input signals indicative of a pulse pattern comprising pulse segments, the input signals defining power levels and durations for the pulse segments. The pulse generator circuit generates a pulse modulation control signal for each pulse segment responsive to the input signals. The pulse modulation control signal is coupled to adjust an amplitude and to modulate an RF source signal to generate the pulse RF signal having an envelope defined by the pulse segments of the pulse pattern.
Claims19
A radio frequency generator providing a pulse radio frequency (RF) signal, comprising:
- a pulse generator circuit configured to receive input signals indicative of a pulse pattern comprising pulse segments, the input signals defining power levels and durations for the pulse segments, the pulse generator circuit generating a pulse modulation control signal for each pulse segment responsive to the input signals, the pulse modulation control signal being coupled to adjust an amplitude and to modulate an RF source signal to generate the pulse RF signal having an envelope defined by the pulse segments of the pulse pattern;
- a digital memory comprising a plurality of memory locations, each memory location storing a power level and a duration value associated with a respective pulse segment of the pulse pattern, and a last memory location storing an end power level or an end duration value;
- and
- a divide-by-N timer receiving the duration value for a respective pulse segment from a respective memory location and generating a first signal indicative of the duration value of the respective pulse segment,
- wherein the pulse generator circuit provides the stored power level from a respective memory location as a signal level of the pulse modulation control signal and provides the first signal indicative of the duration value stored at the same memory location as a pulse width of the pulse modulation control signal, the pulse modulation control signal being provided to modulate the RF source signal to generate the pulse RF signal having the envelope defined by the pulse segments of the pulse pattern.
A method of generating a pulse radio frequency (RF) signal in an RF generator, comprising:
- receiving input signals indicative of a pulse pattern comprising pulse segments to be applied to an RF source signal to generate the pulse RF signal having an envelope defined by the pulse segments of the pulse pattern, the input signals defining a power level and a duration for each pulse segment;
- storing, in a series of memory locations, data values describing the pulse pattern specified by the input signals, each memory location storing data comprising a power level and a duration value for a respective segment of the pulse pattern, the series of memory locations comprising a last memory location storing an end power level or an end duration value,
- selecting a first memory location from the series of memory locations;
- retrieving the power level and the duration value from the selected memory location;
- generating a pulse modulation control signal for each pulse segment responsive to the input signals, comprising generating the pulse modulation control signal having a signal level indicative of the retrieved power level and a signal pulse width indicative of the retrieved duration value;
- providing the signal level of the pulse modulation control signal as a reference signal level for controlling the amplitude of the pulse RF signal;
- providing the signal pulse width of the pulse modulation control signal as a timing signal;
- and
- providing the pulse modulation control signal to adjust an amplitude and to modulate the RF source signal to generate the pulse RF signal having an envelope defined by the pulse segments of the pulse pattern.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.