Amplifier architecture for multi-carrier wide-band communications
AssigneeLucent Technologies Inc.
InventorsStephen Douglas Kitko, Hans A. Kvinlaug, Richard Joseph Lisco, William A. Nitz
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Abstract
A methodology is provided for processing carriers in a wireless application whereby the outputs of a multiplicity of modulated RF signal sources are combined into a single RF signal stream, that single RF signal stream being thereafter divided among the inputs of another multiplicity of RF power amplifiers. The outputs of that multiplicity of RF power amplifiers are then recombined, filtered and provided as an input to a transmission antenna.
Claims13
In a wireless communications system operable to transmit modulated carrier signals from a base station to served wireless stations, a method for grouping carriers into one or more subsets of available carriers in said system to effect a reduction in a number of transmitting antennas required for said system, said method comprising the steps of:
- selecting a first subset of carriers to include at least two of said available carriers;
- combining modulated carrier signals corresponding to said selected subset of carriers into a single RF signal stream;
- dividing that single RF signal stream among inputs of a plurality of RF power amplifiers;
- causing output signals from said plurality of RF power amplifiers to be combined into one amplified RF signal;
- bandpass filtering said one amplified RF signal;
- and
- applying said filtered signal to a transmitting antenna;
- selecting at least one additional subset of carriers to include at least one of said available carriers remaining after selection of said first subset of carriers;
- iteratively repeating said combining, said dividing, said causing and said filtering steps for said at least one additional subset and applying an output of said filtering step to said transmitting antenna.
In a wireless communications system operable to cause modulated RF signals to be transmitted from a base station to served fixed or mobile stations, an architecture for implementation of said RF signal transmission comprising:
- a first combiner operable to receive outputs from a plurality of sources of said modulated RF signals and to produce as an output thereof one combined RF signal;
- a signal splitter operable to receive said output of said combiner and to provide as an output thereof a plurality of copies of said combined RF signal;
- at least one RF amplifier operable to receive as an input ones of said outputs of said signal splitter and to provide as an output an amplified version of the input signal;
- a second combiner operative to receive as inputs the outputs of said at least one RF amplifier and to provide as an output thereof one combined amplified RF signal;
- and
- a bandpass filter operative to receive said combined amplified RF signal and to provide as an output thereof a signal to a transmitting antenna;
- wherein said RF amplifiers are selected to meet a set of predetermined spurious emission requirements and further wherein said RF amplifiers are established in a cooperative relationship with said bandpass filter in order to provide amplified output signals meeting in-band spurious emission requirements.
A method for processing RF carriers in a wireless communications system comprising the steps of:
- operating on outputs of one or more modulated RF signal sources to combine said outputs into a single RF signal stream;
- dividing that single RF signal stream among inputs of a plurality of RF power amplifiers;
- causing output signals from said plurality of RF power amplifiers to be combined into one amplified RF signal;
- and
- bandpass filtering said one amplified RF signal;
- wherein said RF power amplifiers are established in a cooperative relationship with said bandpass filtering in order to provide amplified output signals meeting in-band spurious emission requirements.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.