Communication terminal device and amplifying circuit

• US 20060057981A1
• Filed: 03/03/2004
• Published: 03/16/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Snaptrack Incorporated (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications Japan Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Tsuda, Shinichiro
• Granted Patent: US 7,539,468 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/127.200
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 3/004 Control by varying 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

Abstract

Power consumed by a power-variable amplifying unit for amplifying and supplying data to an antenna in a mobile telephone carrying out data transmission by changing transmission power in accordance with a TPC bit transmitted from a base transceiver station is reduced.

The power-variable amplifying unit is constituted with a variable gain amplifier (21) in which a gain is variably controlled with a control voltage corresponding to the above-described TPC bit, a driver amplifier (22) with a fixed gain, and a power amplifier (23) with a fixed gain. Then, a variable resistance 25 for bypassing a current flowing through a transistor (26) of the driver amplifier (22) is provided, and a resistance value of this variable resistance (25) is variably controlled with the control voltage corresponding to the above-described TPC bit. Accordingly, a current quantity of the current flowing through the transistor 26 can be controlled to be a current quantity according to the control voltage (=transmission power). Consequently, reduction in power consumption by the driver amplifier (22) results in reduction in the power consumed by the aforementioned power-variable amplifying unit.

Claims

1. A communication terminal apparatus comprising:

receiving means for receiving transmission power control information for controlling transmission power of transmission information;

amplifying means equipped with at least variable gain amplifying means for amplifying and outputting said transmission information in accordance with the transmission power control information received by said receiving means, and fixed gain amplifying means for amplifying and outputting the transmission information from the variable gain amplifying means by a fixed gain;

power supplying means for supplying electric power to the variable gain amplifying means and the fixed gain amplifying means of said amplifying means;

electric energy controlling means for controlling electric energy of the electric power supplied from said power supplying means to said fixed gain amplifying means of said amplifying means on the basis of the transmission power control information; and

transmitting means for transmitting said transmission information amplified by said amplifying means.

2. The communication terminal apparatus as described in claim 1, characterized in that:

said variable gain amplifying means amplifies and outputs said transmission information with a large gain in a case where said transmission power control information instructs large transmission power, and amplifies and outputs the transmission information with a small gain in a case where said transmission power control information instructs small transmission power; and

said electric energy controlling means controls the electric energy of the electric power supplied from said power supplying means to said fixed gain amplifying means of said amplifying means to be large in a case where said transmission power control information instructs a large transmission power, and controls the electric energy of the electric power supplied from said power supplying means to said fixed gain amplifying means of said amplifying means to be small in a case where the transmission power control information instructs a small transmission power.

3. The communication terminal apparatus as described in claim 1, characterized in that:

said electric energy controlling means is a variable resistance connected in parallel to a power supplying line connected from said power supplying means to said fixed gain amplifying means, which is controlled to have a large resistance value to make the electric energy of the electric power supplied from said power supplying means to said fixed gain amplifying means large in a case where said transmission power control information instructs a large transmission power and to have a small resistance value to make the electric energy of the electric power supplied from said power supply means to said fixed gain amplifying means small in a case where the transmission power control information instructs a small transmission power.

4. The communication terminal apparatus as described in claim 1, characterized in that:

said electric energy controlling means is a MOS transistor that a source and a drain are connected in parallel to a power supplying line connected from said power supplying means to said fixed gain amplifying means while a gate is provided with said transmission power control information whose polarity is inverted; and

said MOS transistor makes the electric energy of the electric power supplied from said power supplying means to said fixed gain amplifying means large in a case where said transmission power control information instructing a large transmission power is supplied to the gate in a state that the polarity is inverted and makes the electric energy of the electric power supplied from said power supply means to said fixed gain amplifying means small in a case where said transmission power control information instructing a small transmission power is supplied to the gate in the state that the polarity is inverted.

5. The communication terminal apparatus as described in claim 1, characterized in that:

said electric energy controlling means has;

passing electric energy controlling means connected to said power supplying means, through which electric power of electric energy corresponding to said transmission power control information passes;

a first current mirror circuit connected to said power supplying means and said passing electric energy controlling means, for performing a mirroring process so that the electric energy of the electric power from the power supplying means is equal to or a predetermined number of times of the electric energy of the electric power passing through said passing electric energy controlling means;

a MOS transistor provided as an electronic load of said passing electric energy controlling means, for taking out the electric power of the electric energy obtained by the mirroring process in said first current mirror circuit; and

a second current mirror circuit connected in parallel to a power supplying line connected from said power supplying means to said fixed gain amplifying means, for performing a mirroring process so that the electric energy of the electric power from the power supplying means is equal to or a predetermined number of times of the electric energy of the electric power passing through said passing electric energy controlling means,

wherein the electric energy of the electric power supplied to said fixed gain amplifying means is controlled by performing a bypass process on the electric energy of the electric power corresponding to said transmission power control information supplied to said passing electric energy controlling means among the electric power supplied to said fixed gain amplifying means from said power supplying means through said power supplying line.

6. A communication terminal apparatus, characterized by having:

an antenna for receiving transmission power controlling information for controlling transmission power of transmission information;

a power-variable amplifying unit having at least a variable gain amplifier for amplifying and outputting said transmission information in accordance with the transmission power control information received through said antenna and a fixed gain amplifier for amplifying and outputting the transmission information from the variable gain amplifier with a fixed gain;

a power control unit for supplying electric power to the variable gain amplifier and the fixed gain amplifier of said power-variable amplifying unit; and

a supply power changing circuit for controlling electric energy of the electric power supplied from said power control unit to said fixed gain amplifier of said power-variable amplifying unit on the basis of said transmission power control information, wherein said transmission information amplified by said power-variable amplifying unit is transmitted from said antenna.

7. An amplifier circuit comprising:

amplifying means having at least variable gain amplifying means for amplifying and outputting information with a gain corresponding to gain control information for controlling a gain for amplifying the information and fixed gain amplifying means for amplifying and outputting the information from the variable gain amplifying means with a fixed gain;

power supplying means for supplying electric power to the variable gain amplifying means and the fixed gain amplifying means of said amplifying means; and

electric energy controlling means for controlling electric energy of the electric power supplied from said power supplying means to said fixed gain amplifying means of said amplifying means on the basis of said gain control information.

8. The amplifier circuit as described in claim 7, characterized in that:

said electric energy controlling means controls the electric energy of the electric power supplied from said power supplying means to said fixed gain amplifying means of said amplifying means to be large in a case where said gain control information instructs a large gain and controls the electric energy of the electric power supplied from said power supplying means to said fixed gain amplifying means of said amplifying means to be small in a case where said gain control information instructs a small gain.

9. The amplifier circuit as described in claim 7, characterized in that:

said electric energy controlling means is a variable resistance connected in parallel to a power supplying line connected from said power supplying means to said fixed gain amplifying means, which is controlled to have a large resistance value to make the electric energy of the electric power supplied from said power supplying means to said fixed gain amplifying means large in a case where said gain control information instructs a large gain and to have a small resistance value to make the electric energy of the electric power supplied from said power supply means to said fixed gain amplifying means small in a case where said gain control information instructs a small gain.

10. The amplifier circuit as described in claim 7, characterized in that:

said electric energy controlling means is a MOS transistor that a source and a drain are connected in parallel to a power supplying line connected from said power supplying means to said fixed gain amplifying means while a gate is provided with said gain control information whose polarity is inverted; and

said MOS transistor makes the electric energy of the electric power supplied from said power supplying means to said fixed gain amplifying means large in a case where said gain control information instructing a large gain is supplied to the gate in a state that the polarity is inverted and makes the electric energy of the electric power supplied from said power supplying means to said fixed gain amplifying means small in a case where said gain control information instructing a small gain is supplied to the gate in a state that the polarity is inverted.

11. The amplifier circuit as described in claim 7, characterized in that:

said electric energy controlling means has;

passing electric energy controlling means connected to said power supplying means, through which electric power of electric energy corresponding to said gain control information passes;

a first current mirror circuit connected to said power supplying means and said passing electric energy controlling means, for performing a mirroring process so that the electric energy of the electric power from the power supplying means is equal to or a predetermined number of times of the electric energy of the electric power passing through said passing electric energy controlling means;

a MOS transistor provided as an electronic load of said passing electric energy controlling means, for taking out the electric power of the electric energy obtained by the mirroring process in said first current mirror circuit; and

a second current mirror circuit connected in parallel to a power supplying line connected from said power supplying means to said fixed gain amplifying means, for performing a mirroring process so that the electric energy of the electric power from the power supplying means is equal to or a predetermined number of times of the electric energy of the electric power passing through said passing electric energy controlling means,

wherein the electric energy of the electric power supplied to said fixed gain amplifying means is controlled by performing a bypass process on the electric energy of the electric power corresponding to said gain control information supplied to said passing electric energy controlling means among the electric power supplied to said fixed gain amplifying means from said power supplying means through said power supplying line.

12. An amplifier circuit, characterized by comprising:

a power-variable amplifying unit having at least a variable gain amplifier for amplifying and outputting information in accordance with gain control information for controlling a gain for amplifying the information and a fixed gain amplifier for amplifying and outputting the information from the variable gain amplifier with a fixed gain;

a power control unit for supplying electric power to the variable gain amplifier and the fixed gain amplifier of said power-variable amplifying unit; and

a supply power changing circuit for controlling electric energy of the electric power supplied from said power control unit to said fixed gain amplifier of said power-variable amplifying unit on the basis of said gain control information.