Method and apparatus to control power of transmitter

• US 20040110475A1
• Filed: 12/09/2002
• Published: 06/10/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Korol, Victor
• Granted Patent: US 7,120,400 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/126
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2001/0416 having gain or transmission power control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/08 Closed loop power control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/52 using AGC [Automatic Gain Control] circuits or amplifiers

Abstract

Briefly, a method an apparatus to control a power of a transmitter during received slot duration is provided. A power control module set the transmitter to transmit in a targeted power level base on a command received from the slot. The power control module may set an input signal to a first level and may gradually vary the level of the input signal to be substantially equal to its original level and to adjust a gain of the transmitter to transmit at the targeted power level.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

during reception of a data block, setting a transmitter to transmit at a target power level based on information received from the data block by varying an input signal level and a gain of the transmitter to control a power level of a signal transmitted by the transmitter.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

setting the input signal level to a predetermined level based on a command received during the reception of the data block.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein setting the transmitter comprises:

adaptively learning a gain transfer function of the transmitter.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein adaptively learning comprises

sampling at least a portion of a transmitted signal, and wherein setting the transmitter comprises setting the transmitter according to samples of at least the portion of the transmitted signal.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein setting the transmitter according to samples of at least the portion of the transmitted signal comprises:

storing a first sample of the portion of the transmitted signal;

comparing the first sample to other samples of the portion of the transmitted signal; and

generating a control signal based on the results of the comparing.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein setting the transmitter to transmit at the target power level comprises:

setting the input signal level to the predetermined level;

adjusting the gain of the transmitter; and

varying the level of the input signal level to be substantially equal to the level of the input signal before the setting.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein varying the gain of the transmitter comprises attenuating a power of a modulated transmitted signal.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein varying the gain of the transmitter comprises varying a gain of an at least one of controllable circuitry of the transmitter.

9. The method of claim 1 comprising modulating the transmitted signal to provide a modulated transmitted signal, wherein varying the gain of the transmitter comprises:

attenuating the power of the modulated transmitted signal; and

verifying the gain of at least one controllable circuitry of the transmitter.

10. An apparatus comprising:

a step attenuator to set a first level of an input signal to a second level based on a target power value provided by a data block;

a transmitter to transmit a signal at the target power value; and

a power control module to vary the second level of the input signal to be substantially equal to the first level and to adjust a gain of the transmitter to transmit the signal at the target power level.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising:

a feedback loop to provide a feedback signal to the power control module; and

a memory to store a first sample of the feedback signal.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the control module is able to adaptively learn a gain transfer function of the transmitter by sampling the feedback signal and comparing the first sample of the feedback signal to other samples provided by the sampling.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the control module is able to generate a control signal based on the results of comparing the first sample to the other samples.

14. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the control module comprises a processor.

15. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the transmitter comprises controllable circuitry and the power control module is able to adjust the power of the transmitter by adjusting the controllable circuitry.

16. An apparatus comprising:

a dipole antenna to receive a data block;

a step attenuator to set a first level of an input signal to a second level based on a target power value provided by the data block;

a transmitter to transmit a signal at the target power value; and

a power control module to vary the second level of the input signal to be substantially equal to the first level and to adjust a gain of the transmitter to transmit the signal at the target power level.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, further comprising:

a feedback loop to provide a feedback signal to the power control module; and

a memory to store a first sample of the feedback signal.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the control module is able to adaptively learn a gain transfer function of the transmitter by sampling the feedback signal and comparing the first sample of the feedback signal to other samples provided by the sampling.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the control module is able to generate a control signal based on the results of comparing the first sample to the other samples.

20. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the control module comprises a processor.

21. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the transmitter comprises controllable circuitry and the power control module is able to adjust the power of the transmitter by adjusting the controllable circuitry.

27. The article of claim 21 wherein, the instructions when executed further result in:

setting the input signal level to the predetermined level;

adjusting the gain of the transmitter; and

varying the level of the input signal level to be substantially equal to the level of the input signal before the setting.

22. An article comprising:

a storage medium having stored thereon instructions that when executed result in;

during reception of a data block, setting a transmitter to transmit at a target power level based on information received from the data block by varying an input signal level and a gain of the transmitter to control a power level of a signal transmitted by the transmitter.

23. The article of claim 22 wherein, the instructions when executed further result in:

setting the input signal level to a predetermined level based on a command received during the reception of the data block.

24. The article of claim 22 wherein, the instructions when executed further result in:

adaptively learning a gain transfer function of the transmitter.

25. The article of claim 22 wherein, the instructions when executed further result in:

sampling at least a portion of a transmitted signal, and wherein setting the transmitter comprises setting the transmitter according to samples of at least the portion of the transmitted signal.

26. The article of claim 22 wherein, the instructions when executed further result in:

storing a first sample of the portion of the transmitted signal;

comparing the first sample to other samples of the portion of the transmitted signal; and

generating a control signal based on the results of the comparing.

28. The article of claim 22 wherein, the instructions when executed further result in:

attenuating a power of a modulated transmitted signal.

29. The article of claim 22 wherein, the instructions when executed further result in:

varying a gain of an at least one of controllable circuitry of the transmitter.

30. The article of claim 22 wherein, the instructions when executed further result in:

attenuating the power of the modulated transmitted signal; and

verifying the gain of at least one of controllable circuitry of the transmitter.