Transmitter

• US 20060111057A1
• Filed: 11/21/2005
• Published: 05/25/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/25/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Collabo Innovations, Inc. (Wi-LAN Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Tanabe, Mitsuru, Akizuki, Taiji
• Granted Patent: US 7,395,039 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/108
• CPC Class Codes: H03C 5/00 Amplitude modulation and angle modulation produced simultaneously or at will by the same modulating signal H03C7/00 takes precedence
• 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: H04L 27/2626 Arrangements specific to the transmitter only

Abstract

In a transmitter of the present invention, a modulated signal is separated into an amplitude component and a phase component which are inputted to a radio-frequency modulated signal input terminal and a supply voltage terminal of a radio-frequency power amplifier. A voltage adjustment circuit is provided between an output terminal of the radio-frequency power amplifier and an amplitude amplification circuit having a feedback circuit. The voltage adjustment circuit changes the amount of isolation in accordance with the voltage level of the amplitude component. By this, the amplitude component of the radio-frequency modulated wave attenuates the level inputted to the feedback circuit of the amplitude amplification circuit through the supply voltage terminal of the radio-frequency power amplifier.

Claims

1. A transmitter comprising:

modulated signal generating means for generating a modulated signal;

amplitude extracting means for extracting an amplitude component from the modulated signal generated by the modulated signal generating means;

amplitude amplifying means having a feedback circuit and for amplifying the amplitude component extracted by the amplitude extracting means;

voltage converting means for voltage-converting the amplitude component amplified by the amplitude amplifying means;

control means for outputting a control signal according to a signal related to a level of the amplitude component of the modulated signal generated by the modulated signal generating means;

voltage adjusting means for outputting the amplitude component voltage-converted by the voltage converting means, said amplitude component being changed by the control signal from the control means; and

a radio-frequency power amplifier where the modulated signal is inputted to a radio-frequency modulated signal input terminal, the amplitude component outputted from the voltage adjusting means is inputted to a supply voltage terminal, and a modulated wave is outputted as a result,

wherein of the amplitude component returning from an output terminal of the radio-frequency power amplifier to the amplitude amplifying means through the voltage adjusting means and the feedback circuit, a high frequency component that affects a characteristic of a closed loop by the feedback circuit of the amplitude amplifying means is suppressed by the voltage adjusting means according to the control signal.

2. A transmitter according to claim 1, wherein the signal related to the level of the amplitude component of the modulated signal generated by the modulated signal generating means is the amplitude component extracted by the amplitude extracting means.

3. A transmitter according to claim 1, wherein the signal related to the level of the amplitude component of the modulated signal generated by the modulated signal generating means is at least one predetermined power level control signal for specifying a power level of the modulated signal generated by the modulated signal generating means.

4. A transmitter according to claim 1, wherein the signal related to the level of the amplitude component of the modulated signal generated by the modulated signal generating means is at least one predetermined data rate control signal for specifying a data rate of the modulated signal generated by the modulated signal generating means.

5. A transmitter according to claim 1, wherein a quadrature modulation circuit is provided in an input portion of the radio-frequency power amplifier.

6. A transmitter according to claim 1, wherein the voltage adjusting means comprises:

a switching circuit for short-circuiting the voltage converting means and the supply voltage terminal of the radio-frequency power amplifier; and

a buffer circuit provided between the voltage converting means and the supply voltage terminal of the radio-frequency power amplifier, and either the switching circuit or the buffer circuit is selectively operated by the control signal from the control means.

7. A transmitter according to claim 1, wherein the voltage adjusting means comprises a frequency characteristic adjustment circuit, and a frequency characteristic transmitted by the voltage adjusting means is changed by the control signal from the control means.

8. A transmitter according to claim 1, wherein the voltage adjusting means comprises an impedance adjustment circuit, and an output impedance of the voltage adjusting means is changed by the control signal from the control means.

9. A transmitter according to claim 1, wherein the voltage adjusting means has an emitter follower structure of a bipolar transistor.

10. A transmitter according to claim 1, wherein at least the radio-frequency power amplifier and the voltage adjusting means are integrated with each other to constitute a radio-frequency power amplifier module.