Method, device, phone and base station for providing envelope-following for variable envelope radio frequency signals

A device for providing an efficient linear power amplifier that generates a variable-envelope radio frequency RF signal, comprising:

• A) an efficient envelope-following unit, coupled to receive a baseband signal, for outputting a supply voltage in accordance with a variable envelope of the baseband signal, wherein the efficient envelope-following unit includes:
• 1) a bandwidth-limiting mapping unit, coupled to receive the baseband signal, for determining a reference signal;
• and
• 2) an envelope-tracking power converter, coupled to receive the reference signal and to a power source, for outputting a supply voltage to the linear RF power amplifier responsive to the reference signal;
• B) an RF signal generator, coupled to receive the baseband signal and an RF carrier signal, for providing an RF input signal with amplitude and phase information to a linear RF power amplifier;
• and
• C) the linear RF power amplifier, coupled to the efficient envelope-following unit and to the RF signal generator, for outputting a power efficient amplified variable-envelope RF signal with substantially a same amplitude and phase information as the RF input signal.