Phase-Reconfigurable Circuits with Dynamic Phase Modulation for Wideband Dual-Input Power Amplifiers
AssigneeQUALCOMM Incorporated
InventorsSunbo SHIM, Guoxiang HAN, David Angel CALVILLO CORTES, Paolo Enrico DE FALCO, Antonino SCUDERI
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A phase-reconfigurable circuit for a dual-input power amplifier is provided. The circuit includes an envelope detector configured to process an envelope of an RF input signal into an envelope signal. A first vector-sum phase-shifter and a second vector-sum phase-shifter processes an in-phase and a quadrature-phase version of the RF input signal with the envelope signal to produce a first differential output signal having a dynamically-modulated phase difference with a second differential output signal.
Claims30
A dual-input amplifier with dynamic phase modulation, comprising:
- an envelope detector configured to process an envelope of an RF input signal to form an envelope signal;
- a single-ended-to-differential converter configured to convert a version of the RF input signal into a differential RF input signal;
- an I/Q generator circuit configured to convert the differential RF input signal into a differential in-phase signal and into a differential quadrature-phase signal;
- a first vector-sum phase-shifter;
- a second vector-sum phase-shifter;
- a first pair of output terminals;
- and
- a second pair of output terminals, wherein the first vector-sum phase-shifter and the second vector-sum phase shifter are configured to process the differential in-phase signal and the differential quadrature-phase signal to form a first differential output signal at the first pair of output terminals and to form a second differential output signal at the second pair of output terminals and to adjust a phase difference between the first differential output signal and the second differential output signal responsive to the envelope signal.
A dual-input amplifier method, comprising:
- converting an RF input signal into a differential in-phase signal and a differential quadrature-phase signal;
- processing the differential in-phase signal and the differential quadrature-phase signal to form a first differential output signal and a second differential output signal, wherein the first differential output signal has a phase difference with respect to the second differential output signal;
- and
- adjusting the phase difference responsive to a power of the RF input signal.
A dual-input amplifier, comprising:
- a first vector-sum phase-shifter and a second vector-sum phase shifter configured to dynamically modulate a phase difference between a first differential output signal and a second differential output signal responsive to a power of an input RF signal;
- a first differential-to-single-ended converter configured to convert the first differential output signal into a first single-ended output signal;
- a first driver amplifier configured to amplify the first single-ended output signal to form a first driver output signal;
- and
- a first power amplifier configured to amplify the first driver output signal to form a first power amplifier output signal.
A transmitter, comprising:
- a delay and impedance matching circuit configured to delay an RF input signal into a delayed matched signal;
- a pre-amplifier configured to amplify the delayed matched signal to form an amplified input signal;
- a single-ended-to-differential conversion circuit configured to convert the amplified input signal into a differential input signal;
- a polyphase filter configured to convert the differential input signal into a differential in-phase signal and a differential quadrature-phase signal;
- a first vector-sum phase-shifter and a second vector-sum phase shifter both configured to process the differential in-phase signal and the differential quadrature-phase signal to form a first differential output signal and a second differential output signal and to dynamically modulate a phase difference between the first differential output signal and the second differential output signal responsive to a power of the RF input signal;
- a first differential-to-single-ended conversion circuit configured to convert the first differential output signal to form a first single-ended output signal;
- a second differential-to-single-ended conversion circuit configured to convert the second differential output signal to form a second single-ended output signal;
- one or more first amplifiers configured to amplify the first single-ended output signal to form a first amplified RF signal;
- one or more second amplifiers configured to amplify the second single-ended output signal to form a second amplified RF signal;
- and
- a combiner configured to combine the first amplified RF signal and the second amplified RF signal to form a combined RF output signal.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.