Transmission output circuit and mobile communication terminal

• US 20040180686A1
• Filed: 05/03/2004
• Published: 09/16/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Snaptrack Incorporated (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications Japan Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Nakayama, Takashi
• Granted Patent: US 7,139,537 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/522
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 3/007 Control dependent on the supply voltage
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 3/3042 in modulators, frequency-changers, transmitters or power amplifiers transmission power control in bidirectional transmission systems H04W52/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/0466 Fault detection or indication H04B1/0483 takes precedence
• 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 52/10 Open loop power control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/36 with a discrete range or set of values, e.g. step size, ramping or offsets
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/52 using AGC [Automatic Gain Control] circuits or amplifiers

Abstract

A transmission output circuit can always perform correct transmission power control, and can detect the abnormality of transmission power, which interferes with other users, and part troubles, which cause erroneous transmission. The transmission output circuit includes transmission power control data generation means for generating a gain control signal for performing the feed forward control of gain control amplification means in order that the output signal level of the power amplification means may be a target transmission power output level, detection means for detecting the output signal of the power amplification means to obtain detected signal data, and judgment means for judging the existence of the occurrence of trouble in the transmission output system by using the detected signal data from the detection means.

Claims

1. A transmission output circuit characterized by comprising:

gain control amplification means for varying gain of an input signal in accordance with a gain control signal;

power amplification means for amplifying power of an output signal from said gain control amplification means;

transmission power output level instruction means for specifying a target transmission power output level;

transmission power control data generation means for generating the gain control signal for performing a feed forward control of said gain control amplification means in order that an output signal level of said power amplification means becomes said target transmission power output level;

detection means for obtaining detected signal data by detecting the output signal of said power amplification means;

and judgment means for judging existence of occurrence of trouble in a transmission output system by using said detected signal data from said detection means.

2. The transmission output circuit as cited in claim 1, characterized in which:

said feed forward control is an open loop control based on a received signal intensity; and

said judgment means judges the existence of occurrence of trouble by determining whether said detected signal data from the detection means assumed by controlling said gain control amplification means with said gain control signal generated at said transmission power control data generation means is within data range where said detected signal data from said detection means carries out a normal operation.

3. The transmission output circuit as cited in claim 2, characterized by further comprising:

means for deriving said data range where said detected signal data from said detection means assumed by controlling said gain control amplification means with said gain control signal carries out the normal operation.

4. The transmission output circuit as cited in claim 2, characterized by further comprising:

memory means for memorizing data of said data range where said detected signal data from the detection means assumed by controlling said gain control amplification means with said gain control signal carries out the normal operation.

5. The transmission output circuit as cited in claim 1, characterized in which:

said feed forward control is a closed loop control based on a transmission power control data form a transmission side; and

said judgment means judges the existence of occurrence of trouble by determining whether present gain control signal is within a data range where said gain control signal assumed relative to said present detecting signal data obtained from said detection means carries out a normal operation.

6. The transmission output circuit as cited in claim 5, characterized by further comprising:

means for deriving said data range where said gain control signal assumed relative to said detected signal data from said detection means carries out the normal operation.

7. The transmission output circuit as cited in claim 5, characterized by further comprising:

memory means for memorizing data of said data range where said gain control signal assumed relative to said detected signal data from said detection means carries out the normal operation.

8. The transmission output circuit as cited in claim 1, characterized by further comprising:

a transmission power control data table in which a transmission power control data for generating control voltage to be supplied to said gain control amplification means and corresponding to various values of said transmission power output level is written;

power source voltage detection means for detecting the power source voltage and for supplying data of thus detected power source voltage to said transmission power control data processing means;

temperature detection means for detecting temperature and for supplying data of thus detected temperature to said transmission power control data processing means;

a transmission power control data correction table in which correction data for said transmission power control data is written while said power source voltage and said temperature being as parameters; and

transmission power control data processing means for processing transmission power control data relative to said target transmission power output level while obtaining said correction data of said transmission power control data corresponding to said data for the said power source voltage and data for said temperature from said transmission power control data correction table.

9. The transmission output circuit as cited in claim 8, characterized by further comprising:

a detection signal data table to which detection signal data corresponding to various values of said transmission power output level is written; and

detection signal data comparison means for comparing detection signal data obtained from said detection circuit with the detection signal data corresponding to said target transmission power output level from said detection signal data table, wherein

said transmission power control data processing means outputs transmission power control data relative to said target transmission power output level after applying correction processing so that comparison output data of said detection signal data comparison means becomes equal or less than a predetermined level.

21. A mobile communication terminal comprising the transmission output circuit as cited in any one of claims 1 to claim 20.

22. A mobile communication terminal characterized by comprising:

said transmission output circuit as cited in any one of claims 1 to claim 9;

and

means for carrying out trouble report to a user when said judgment means judges that said detection signal data from said detection means is not a value for normal operation range.

23. The mobile communication terminal as cited in claim 22, characterized by further comprising:

means for judging whether it is in communication with a base station when said judgement means judges that the said detection signal data from said detection means is not within the value for normal operation range; and

means for stopping the transmission operation after carrying out call disconnection processing when said judging means judges that it is in communication with the base station.

24. The mobile communication terminal as cited in claim 22 or claim 23, characterized which:

said means for carrying out the trouble report carries out said trouble report by any one or combination of a report by display by display screen, a report by audio from a speaker, a report by vibration of a vibrator, and a report by a light emitting diode.

10. A transmission output circuit characterized by comprising:

gain control amplification means for varying gain of an input signal in accordance with a gain control signal;

power amplification means for performing power amplification of an output signal of said gain control amplification means;

detection means for detecting an output signal of said power amplification means to obtain detected signal data;

a detected signal data table in which the detected signal data corresponding to various values of said transmission power output level is written;

a transmission power control data table in which transmission power control data for generating control voltages to be supplied to said gain control amplification means, the control voltages corresponding to various values of said transmission power output level, is written;

detected signal data comparison means for comparing said detected signal data obtained by said detection means with said detected signal data corresponding to said target transmission power output level from said detected signal data table; and

transmission power control data processing means for operating transmission power control data to said target transmission power output level on a basis of present transmission power control data from said transmission power control data table and comparison output data from said detection signal comparison means, where in

said transmission power control data processing means outputs transmission power control data relative to said target transmission power output level after applying correction processing so that the comparison output data of said detection signal data comparison means becomes equal or less than a predetermined level.

11. The transmission output circuit as cited in claim 10, characterized by further comprising:

power source voltage detection means for detecting the power source voltage and for supplying data of thus detected power source voltage to said transmission power control data generation means;

temperature detection means for detecting temperature and for supplying data of thus detected temperature to said transmission power control data generation means; and

a transmission power control data correction table in which correction data for said transmission power control data where said power source voltage and said temperature are written as parameters;

wherein

said transmission power control data generation means for processing transmission power control data relative to said target transmission power output level while obtaining said correction data of said transmission power control data corresponding to said data for the said power source voltage and data for said temperature from said transmission power control data correction table.

12. The transmission output circuit as cited in claim 10, characterized by further comprising:

a transmission power control data correction table in which correction data for said transmission power control data wherein transmission frequency and or the number of transmission multiplexed channels are parameters;

wherein

said transmission power control data generation means processes said transmission power control data relative to said target transmission power control level by obtaining said correction data for the transmission power control data corresponding to said present transmission frequency and or the present number of transmission multiplexed channels from said transmission power control data correction table.

13. The transmission output circuit as cited in claim 12, characterized in which:

said number of transmission multiplexed channels corresponds to the number of spread code for spectrum-spreading the transmission signal and is for a mobile communication of a DS-CDMA system.

14. The transmission output circuit as cited in claim 12, characterized by further comprising:

a detection signal data correction table in which correction data for said detection signal control data is written while transmission frequency and or the number of transmission multiplexed channels being as parameters, wherein

said detection signal data corresponding to said target transmission power output level which is compared with said detection signal data obtained from said detection means by said detection signal data comparison means and is obtained from said detection signal data correction table is corrected using values of said detection signal data correction table.

15. The transmission output circuit as cited in claim 14, characterized in which:

said number of transmission multiplexed channels corresponds to the number of spread code for spectrum-spreading the transmission signal and is for a mobile communication of a DS-CDMA system.

16. The transmission output circuit as cited in claim 10, characterized in which:

when value of said comparison output data from said detection signal data comparison means is within a predetermined range determined previously, said transmission power control data generation means processes transmission power control data relative to the target transmission power output level based on the transmission power control data from said transmission power control data table without using the value of said comparison output data from said detection signal data comparison means.

17. The transmission output circuit as cited in claim 11, characterized in which:

when value of said comparison output data from said detection signal data comparison means is within a predetermined range determined previously, said transmission power control data generation means processes transmission power control data relative to said target transmission power output level based on the data corrected by using said correction data from said transmission power control data correction data table without using the value of said comparison output data from said detection signal data comparison means.

18. The transmission output circuit as cited in claim 10, characterized by including:

a mode for carrying out a closed loop transmission power control by designating target transmission power control output level from said transmission power output level instruction means based on the transmission power control data transmitted from an opponent to transmit; and

a mode for carrying out an open loop transmission power control by designating target transmission power output level from said transmission power output level instruction means based on the received intensity, wherein

when operating said mode for carrying out said closed loop transmission power control, said transmission power control data generation means processes transmission power control data from said transmission power control data table to transmission power control data relative to target transmission power control output level based on data corrected using said correction data from said transmission power control data correction data without using the value of said comparison output data from said detection signal data comparison means.

19. A transmission output circuit characterized by comprising:

gain control amplification means for varying gain of an input signal in accordance with a gain control signal;

power amplification means for performing power amplification of an output signal of said gain control amplification means;

transmission power output level instruction means for designating target transmission power output level based on transmission power control data transmitted from an opponent to transmit;

transmission power control data generation means for generating said gain control signal for carrying out a feed forward control of said gain control amplification means so that output signal level of said power amplification means becomes said target transmission power output level;

detection means for obtaining detected signal data by detecting output signal from said power amplification means;

first judgement means for judging whether said detected signal data from said detection means is within a range which becomes maximum transmission power specified value or not;

second judgement means for judging whether said detected signal data from said detection means is within a range which becomes minimum transmission power specified value or not; and

control means for ignoring transmission power control data when it is judged by said first judgement means that said detection signal data is within the range of said maximum transmission power specified value and when said transmission power control data from said transmission side is for further increasing said transmission power output level, and for ignoring transmission power control data when it is judged by said second judgement means that said detection signal data is within the range of said minimum transmission power specified value and when said transmission power control data from said transmission side is for further decreasing said transmission power output level.

20. The transmission output circuit as cited in claim 19, characterized in which:

a range which becomes said maximum transmission power specified value and/or a range which becomes said minimum transmission power specified value is/are able to be freely set.