# US 2013/0154732 A1 · Power management in transceivers > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2013/0154732 A1 - Document ID: US20130154732A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 13/330,412 - Filed: 2011-12-19 - Published: 2013-06-20 - Earliest claimed: 2011-12-19 - Assignees: Intel Corporation - Inventors: Nicholas P. Cowley; Isaac Ali; William L. Barber - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20130154732A1 ## CPC - H03F 3/24: of transmitter output stages - H03F 1/0211: {with control of the supply voltage or current} - H03F 1/0216: {Continuous control} - H03G 3/20: Automatic control ({H03G3/005 takes precedence;} combined with volume compression or expansion H03G7/00) - H03G 3/3042: {in modulators, frequency-changers, transmitters or power amplifiers} - H03G 3/3047: {for intermittent signals, e.g. burst signals} - H03F 2200/294: the amplifier being a low noise amplifier [LNA] - H03F 2200/504: the supply voltage or current being continuously controlled by a controlling signal, e.g. the controlling signal of a transistor implemented as variable resistor in a supply path for, an IC-block showed amplifier - H03F 2203/20: Indexing scheme relating to power amplifiers, e.g. Class B amplifiers, Class C amplifiers - H03F: AMPLIFIERS - H03G: CONTROL OF AMPLIFICATION ## Abstract Various embodiments are directed to apparatuses and methods to reduce average power dissipation in transceiver stages such as power amplifiers and low noise amplifiers (LNAs) that process signals of varying output amplitudes. Power dissipation may be reduced by varying the supply voltage in sympathy with the amplitude of the signal and/or the stage current density which may also be varied in sympathy with the signal amplitude. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An apparatus, comprising: a first correlator component operative to determine an amplitude for an output signal, the output signal characterized by a wide dynamic range exhibiting variation in amplitude; and a regulator component coupled with the first correlator component, the regulator component operative to: generate a power supply voltage based on the amplitude of the output signal; and power a gain stage to amplify the output signal using the power supply voltage. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, the regulator component operative to maintain the power supply voltage powering the gain stage at a level to prevent clipping of the amplified output signal. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, the regulator component comprising a switched mode DC to DC converter. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The apparatus of claim 3, the regulator component operative to generate the power supply voltage by means of a pulse width modulation (PWM) generator. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, the regulator component comprising a buck regulator component. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, the regulator component comprising a boost regulator component. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, comprising a second correlator component operative to: determine a bias current for the gain stage based on the amplitude of the output signal; and apply the bias current to the gain stage. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the bias current is proportional to the amplitude of the output signal. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The apparatus of claim 7, the second correlator component operative to maintain the bias current on the gain stage at a level to prevent clipping of the amplified output signal. ### Claim 10 A method, comprising: determining the amplitude of an output signal, the output signal characterized by a wide dynamic range exhibiting variation in amplitude; and setting a supply voltage based on the amplitude of the output signal; and powering a gain stage to amplify the output signal using the supply voltage. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10 comprising setting the supply voltage proportional to the amplitude. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11 comprising maintaining the supply voltage powering the gain stage at a level to prevent clipping of the amplified output signal. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11 wherein setting the supply voltage proportional to the amplitude is performed by a buck regulator component. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11 wherein setting the supply voltage proportional to the amplitude is performed by a boost regulator component. ### Claim 15 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10 comprising applying a bias current to the gain stage. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15 wherein the bias current is proportional to the amplitude. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15 comprising maintaining the bias current on the gain stage at a level to prevent clipping of the amplified output signal. ### Claim 18 A system, comprising: a data generator operative to generate an output signal and a signal indicative of the amplitude of the output signal; a voltage correlator component communicatively coupled with the data generator, the voltage correlator component operative to determine a value for a power supply voltage based on the amplitude of the output signal; and a regulator component coupled with the voltage correlator component, the regulator component operative to: receive an input voltage; convert the input voltage to the power supply voltage; and power a gain stage to amplify the output signal using the power supply voltage. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The system of claim 18, the regulator component operative to maintain the power supply voltage powering the gain stage at a level to prevent clipping of the amplified output signal. ### Claim 20 (depends on 18) The system of claim 18, the regulator component comprising a switched mode DC to DC converter. ### Claim 21 (depends on 20) The system of claim 20, the regulator component operative to generate the power supply voltage by means of a pulse width modulation (PWM) generator. ### Claim 22 (depends on 18) The system of claim 18, the regulator component comprising a buck regulator component. ### Claim 23 (depends on 18) The system of claim 18, the regulator component comprising a boost regulator component. ### Claim 24 (depends on 18) The system of claim 18, comprising a second correlator component operative to: determine a bias current for the gain stage based on the amplitude of the output signal; and apply the bias current to the gain stage. ### Claim 25 (depends on 24) The system of claim 24, wherein the bias current is proportional to the amplitude of the output signal. ### Claim 26 (depends on 24) The system of claim 24, the second correlator component operative to maintain the bias current on the gain stage at a level to prevent clipping of the amplified output signal.