VSWR tolerant power detector
AssigneeRF Micro Devices, Inc.
InventorTerry Stockert
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A system is provided for detecting the output power of power amplifier circuitry in a transmitter of a mobile terminal. Balanced power amplifier circuitry is provided having in-phase power amplifier circuitry and quadrature phase amplifier circuitry. A power detection system provides a power detection signal indicative of the output power of the balanced power amplifier circuitry based on an in-phase detect signal indicative of some measurable parameter that varies with power, such as current, in a final amplifier stage of the in-phase amplifier circuitry and a quadrature phase detect signal indicative of some measurable parameter that varies with power, such as current, in a final stage of the quadrature phase amplifier circuitry.
Claims24
A system for detecting an output power of power amplifier circuitry comprising:
- in-phase amplifier circuitry comprising an input amplifier stage and a final amplifier stage and adapted to amplify an in-phase input signal to provide an in-phase output signal;
- quadrature phase amplifier circuitry comprising an input amplifier stage and a final amplifier stage and adapted to amplify a quadrature phase input signal to provide a quadrature phase output signal;
- quadrature combiner circuitry adapted to provide an amplified radio frequency (RF) output signal by combining the in-phase output signal and the quadrature phase output signal;
- and
- a power detection system adapted to provide a power detection signal indicative of an output power of the power amplifier circuitry based on an in-phase detect signal indicative of a current through the final amplifier stage of the in-phase amplifier circuitry and a quadrature phase detect signal indicative of a current through the final amplifier stage of the quadrature phase amplifier circuitry.
A system for detecting an output power of power amplifier circuitry comprising:
- a balanced power amplifier comprising in-phase amplifier circuitry adapted to amplify an in-phase radio frequency (RF) signal and quadrature phase amplifier circuitry adapted to amplify a quadrature phase RF input signal;
- and
- a power detection system adapted to provide a power detection signal indicative of an output power of the power amplifier circuitry based on an in-phase detect signal indicative of a current through a final amplifier stage of the in-phase amplifier circuitry and a quadrature phase detect signal indicative of a current through a final amplifier stage of the quadrature phase amplifier circuitry, wherein a total of the current through the final amplifier stage of the in-phase amplifier circuitry and the current through the final amplifier stage of the quadrature phase amplifier circuitry is relatively constant as load impedance varies for a given power level of the balanced power amplifier.
A system for detecting an output power of power amplifier circuitry comprising:
- in-phase amplifier circuitry adapted to amplify an in-phase input signal to provide an in-phase output signal;
- quadrature phase amplifier circuitry adapted to amplify a quadrature phase input signal to provide a quadrature phase output signal;
- quadrature combiner circuitry adapted to provide an amplified radio frequency (RF) output signal by combining the in-phase output signal and the quadrature phase output signal;
- and
- a power detection system adapted to provide a power detection signal indicative of an output power of the power amplifier circuitry based on an in-phase detect signal indicative of a current through the in-phase amplifier circuitry and a quadrature phase detect signal indicative of a current through the quadrature phase amplifier circuitry.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.