Protection of power amplifiers in a signal booster

• US 10,523,160 B2
• Filed: 08/23/2018
• Issued: 12/31/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Wilson Electronics LLC (Wilson Electronics Holdings LLC)
• Original Assignee: Wilson Electronics LLC (Wilson Electronics Holdings LLC)
• Inventors: Ashworth, Christopher Ken
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Tuan H
• Application Number:
  US16/111,076
• Publication Number:
  US 20190068136A1
• Time in Patent Office: 495 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/52 Circuit arrangements for protecting such amplifiers monitoring arrangements G01R31/28; increasing reliability in communication systems, e.g. using redundancy H04B1/74
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/426 the amplifier comprising circuitry for protection against overload
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/451 the amplifier being a radio frequency amplifier
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/19 with semiconductor devices only
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/195 in integrated circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/245 with semiconductor devices only
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/72 Gated amplifiers, i.e. amplifiers which are rendered operative or inoperative by means of a control signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/15 Active relay systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/15535 Control of relay amplifier gain amplifier gain control in general H03G3/00; gain control reducing self - or loop interference H04B7/15578

Abstract

Technology for a repeater is disclosed. The repeater can include a power amplifier and a controller. The controller can determine whether a load is connected to the repeater. The controller can protect the power amplifier when the load is not connected to the repeater by disabling the power amplifier. The controller can unprotect the power amplifier when the load is connected to the repeater by enabling the power amplifier.

Claims

1. At least one machine readable storage medium having instructions embodied thereon for protecting a power amplifier in a repeater, the instructions when executed by a controller in the repeater perform the following:

determining, at the controller in the repeater, whether a load is connected to the repeater;

protecting, by the controller, the power amplifier in the repeater when the load is not connected to the repeater by disabling the power amplifier when a return loss on a repeater port coupled to the controller is less than a defined threshold; and

unprotecting, by the controller, the power amplifier in the repeater when the load is connected to the repeater by enabling the power amplifier.

2. The at least one machine readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein protecting the power amplifier further comprises switching in a load between the power amplifier and an antenna to present an increased return loss to the power amplifier.

3. The at least one machine readable storage medium of claim 1, further comprising instructions when executed perform the following:

determining that the load is not connected to the repeater based on an absence of a current flow from the controller to the load;

or

determining that the load is connected to the repeater based on a current flow from the controller to the load.

4. The at least one machine readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the load is a light emitting diode (LED) or a resistor connected to ground.

5. The at least one machine readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the return loss is less than the defined threshold when the load is not connected to the repeater.

6. The at least one machine readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein unprotecting the power amplifier comprises enabling the power amplifier when a return loss on a repeater port coupled to the controller exceeds a defined threshold, wherein the return loss exceeds the defined threshold when the load is connected to the repeater.

7. A repeater, comprising:

a power amplifier; and

a controller configured to;

determine whether a load is connected to the repeater;

protect the power amplifier when the load is not connected to the repeater by disabling the power amplifier when a return loss on a repeater port coupled to the power amplifier is less than a defined threshold; and

unprotect the power amplifier when the load is connected to the repeater by enabling the power amplifier.

8. The repeater of claim 7, wherein the controller that is configured to protect the power amplifier is further configured to switch in a load between the power amplifier and an antenna of the repeater to present an increased return loss to the power amplifier.

9. The repeater of claim 7, wherein the controller is further configured to:

determine that the load is not connected to the repeater based on an absence of a current flow from the controller to the load;

or

determine that the load is connected to the repeater based on a current flow from the controller to the load.

10. The repeater of claim 7, wherein the load is a light emitting diode (LED).

11. The repeater of claim 7, wherein the load is a resistor connected to ground.

12. The repeater of claim 7, wherein the return loss is less than the defined threshold when the load is not connected to the repeater.

13. The repeater of claim 7, wherein the controller that is configured to unprotect the power amplifier is configured to enable the power amplifier when a return loss on a repeater port coupled to the power amplifier exceeds a defined threshold, wherein the return loss exceeds the defined threshold when the load is connected to the repeater.

14. The repeater of claim 7, wherein the power amplifier is included in an uplink signal path or a downlink signal path.

15. The repeater of claim 7, further comprising one or more amplifiers and one or more filters to amplify and filter signals.

16. The repeater of claim 7, wherein the controller that is configured to protect the power amplifier is configured to disable the power amplifier as a default setting.

17. The repeater of claim 7, wherein the controller that is configured to unprotect the power amplifier is configured to enable the power amplifier after a defined delay when the load is connected to the repeater.

18. The repeater of claim 7, further comprising:

an outside antenna; and

an inside antenna,

wherein the load is communicatively coupled to an inside antenna port of the inside antenna or an outside antenna port of the outside antenna.

19. The repeater of claim 7, wherein the load is included in a cradle that is attached to the repeater.

20. A power amplifier protection circuit, comprising:

a power amplifier; and

a controller configured to;

determine whether a load is connected to the power amplifier protection circuit;

protect the power amplifier when the load is not connected to the power amplifier protection circuit by disabling the power amplifier when a return loss on a port coupled to the controller is less than a defined threshold; and

unprotect the power amplifier when the load is connected to the power amplifier protection circuit.

21. The power amplifier protection circuit of claim 20, wherein the controller that is configured to protect the power amplifier is configured to disable the power amplifier when the load is not connected to the power amplifier protection circuit.

22. The power amplifier protection circuit of claim 20, wherein the controller that is configured to unprotect the power amplifier is configured to enable the power amplifier when the load is connected to the power amplifier protection circuit.

23. The power amplifier protection circuit of claim 20, wherein the controller that is configured to protect the power amplifier is configured to switch in a load between the power amplifier and an antenna to present an increased return loss to the power amplifier.

24. The power amplifier protection circuit of claim 20, wherein the controller is further configured to:

determine that the load is not connected to the power amplifier protection circuit based on an absence of a current flow from the controller to the load;

or

determine that the load is connected to the power amplifier protection circuit based on a current flow from the controller to the load.

25. The power amplifier protection circuit of claim 20, wherein the load is a light emitting diode (LED).

26. The power amplifier protection circuit of claim 20, wherein the load is a resistor connected to ground.

27. The power amplifier protection circuit of claim 20, wherein the return loss is less than the defined threshold when the load is not connected to the power amplifier protection circuit.

28. The power amplifier protection circuit of claim 20, wherein the controller that is configured to unprotect the power amplifier is configured to enable the power amplifier when a return loss on a port coupled to the controller exceeds a defined threshold, wherein the return loss exceeds the defined threshold when the load is connected to the power amplifier protection circuit.

29. The power amplifier protection circuit of claim 20, wherein the power amplifier protection circuit is included in a repeater or a signal booster.