Transmitting method and transmitter apparatus

• US 20050079835A1
• Filed: 10/02/2003
• Published: 04/14/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/03/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Takabayashi, Shinichiro, Matsuo, Michiaki, Ukena, Masato, Orihashi, Masayuki
• Granted Patent: US 7,263,135 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/127.100
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/0211 with control of the supply voltage or current
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/025 by using a signal derived from the input signal
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/0255 by using a signal derived from the output signal
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/32 Modifications of amplifiers to reduce non-linear distortion by negative feedback H03F1/34
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/3247 using feedback acting on predistortion circuits H03F1/3264 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/3282 Acting on the phase and the amplitude of the input signal
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/34 Negative-feedback-circuit arrangements with or without positive feedback H03F1/02 - H03F1/30, H03F1/38 - H03F1/50, H03F3/50 take precedence ; for rejection of common mode signals H03F3/45479
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/102 A non-specified detector of a signal envelope being used in an amplifying circuit
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/24 of transmitter output stages
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 2201/103 being an amplifying element
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 2201/206 being in radio frequency
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 2201/307 being radio frequency signal
• 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 1/0475 with means for limiting noise, interference or distortion H04B1/0483 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2001/0416 having gain or transmission power control
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2001/0433 with linearisation using feedback

Abstract

A transmitting method and a transmitter apparatus, which need no manual adjustment, are disclosed. A delay amount of a delay means is automatically adjusted such that an out-of-band distortion component of a transmission signal is minimized, and a correct timing is produced by the method and the apparatus. In this transmitter apparatus, a first delay means adjusts a control timing over a voltage that controls a power amplifying means, and a distributor distributes an output from the power amplifying means in order to feedback parts of the output. A distortion adjusting means calculates a distortion component of the transmission signal by using the signal fed back by the distributor, and adjusts automatically a delay amount of the first delay means so as to minimize the distortion component. This structure allows eliminating manual adjustment, and obtaining high power-efficiency with fewer distortions.

Claims

1. A transmitting method that controls a voltage of a power amplifying means in response to an envelope amplitude of a transmission signal, the method comprising:

detecting a distortion component of a signal output from the power amplifying means, and

controlling automatically a control timing over a voltage that controls the power amplifying means such that the distortion component is minimized.

2. The transmitting method of claim 1, wherein the distortion component is out-of-band power of the transmission signal.

3. A transmitter apparatus comprising:

a first delay means for adjusting a control timing over a voltage that controls a power amplifying means;

a distributor for distributing an output from the power amplifying means and feeding back a signal distributed; and

a distortion adjusting means for calculating a distortion component of a transmission signal by using the signal fed back by the distributor, and adjusting automatically a delay amount of the first delaying means such that the distortion component is minimized.

4. The transmitter apparatus of claim 3, wherein the distortion component is out-of-band power of the transmission signal.

5. The transmitter apparatus of claim 4 further comprising:

an amplitude calculating means for calculating an amplitude of a transmission base-band signal;

a voltage controlling means for controlling a bias voltage to be supplied to the power amplifying means based on an output from the first delay means;

a second delay means for delaying the transmission base-band signal;

a first frequency converting means for converting an output from the second delay means into an RF signal;

a second frequency converting means for converting the signal fed back into one of a base-band signal and an IF signal; and

a delay amount calculating means for adjusting a delay amount supplied by the first delay means and the second delay means based on an output from the distortion adjusting means such that the out-of-band power calculated by the distortion adjusting means becomes minimized,

wherein the first delay means delays an output from the amplitude calculating means, the voltage controlling means controls the bias voltage based on the output from the first delay means, the power amplifying means amplifies an output from the first frequency converting means, and the distortion adjusting means calculates the out-of-band power based on an output from the second frequency converting means.

6. The transmitter apparatus of claim 5, wherein the out-of-band power is leakage power to an adjacent channel.

7. The transmitter apparatus of claim 6, wherein an abnormal output from the distortion adjusting means halts an operation of the transmitter apparatus.

8. The transmitter apparatus of claim 5, wherein an abnormal output from the distortion adjusting means halts an operation of the transmitter apparatus.

9. The transmitter apparatus of claim 5 further comprising:

a phase calculating means for calculating a phase of the transmission base-band signal; and

a voltage control oscillating means for outputting a phase modulation signal based on the output from the second delay means,

wherein the second delay means delays an output from the phase calculating means, and the first frequency converting means converts an output from the voltage control oscillating means into an RF signal.

10. The transmitter apparatus of claim 9, wherein the out-of-band power is leakage power to an adjacent channel.

11. The transmitter apparatus of claim 10, wherein an abnormal output from the distortion adjusting means halts an operation of the transmitter apparatus.

12. The transmitter apparatus of claim 9, wherein an abnormal output from the distortion adjusting means halts an operation of the transmitter apparatus.

13. The transmitter apparatus of claim 3 further comprising:

a voltage control oscillating means for producing a carrier signal having a constant envelope and being phase-modulated by a phase component of a transmission base-band signal; and

a third delay means for delaying a signal of the phase component to be fed into the voltage control oscillating means,

wherein the distortion adjusting means adjusts not only a delay amount of the first delay means but also a delay amount of the third delay means.

14. The transmitter apparatus of claim 13, wherein the third delay means is a first filter that limits a signal of the phase component to a band, the first delay means is a second filter that limits a signal of the amplitude component to a band, the distortion adjusting means changes passing characteristics of one of the first filter and the second filter for controlling a delay amount.