Power estimation of a transmission

• US 20070004349A1
• Filed: 06/29/2005
• Published: 01/04/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Guangdong OPPO Mobile Telecommunications Corporation Limited
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Iqbal, Mohamed, Ranganathan, Thirunavukkarasu, Nair, Vijayakumaran
• Granted Patent: US 7,643,803 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/127.100
• 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: H04W 52/04 TPC
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/52 using AGC [Automatic Gain Control] circuits or amplifiers

Abstract

Embodiments of power estimation of a transmission are presented herein.

Claims

1. An integrated circuit comprising:

a transmitter portion configured to transmit a signal; and

a transmitter power control configured to estimate power of the signal.

2. An integrated circuit as described in claim 1, wherein the transmitter portion and the transmitter power control are formed using a complementary metal-oxide semiconductor device (CMOS)

3. An integrated circuit as described in claim 1, wherein the transmitter power control is further configured to manage transmission power of the signal.

4. An integrated circuit as described in claim 1, wherein the transmitter power control includes a sampler that utilizes a sub-sampling technique to tap a voltage output of a power amplifier included in the transmitter portion and operates at a frequency that is significantly lower than a frequency, at which, the power amplifier operates.

5. An integrated circuit as described in claim 1, wherein the transmitter power control utilizes a mixer to estimate power of the signal.

6. An integrated circuit as described in claim 5, further comprising a receiver configured to receive a wireless signal and wherein operation of the mixer is shared by the receiver.

7. An integrated circuit as described in claim 5, wherein the mixer employs a mean-square technique to estimate power of the wireless signal.

8. An integrated circuit as described in claim 1, wherein the transmitter power control utilizes switched capacitors to estimate power of the signal.

9. An integrated circuit as described in claim 1, wherein the transmitter power control utilizes digital processing to estimate power of the signal.

10. An integrated circuit as described in claim 1, wherein the transmitter power control employs a mean of absolute value technique to estimate power of the signal.

11. An integrated circuit as described in claim 1, wherein the transmitter power control employs an averaging technique to estimate power of the signal.

12. An integrated circuit as described in claim 1, wherein the transmitter power control includes:

means for sampling an output of the signal;

means for estimating power of the signal; and

means for managing transmission power of the signal.

13. An integrated circuit comprising:

a power amplifier to amplify a signal for wireless transmission;

a sampler to sample the signal;

a comparator to produce indications of a relationship of the signal to a common mode level; and

a device to provide an average estimate of transmission power of the signal, wherein one or more switches of the device are controlled based on the indications of the relationship of the signal to the common mode level.

14. An integrated circuit as described in claim 13, wherein the device employs a mean of absolute value technique to provide the average estimate of transmission power.

15. An integrated circuit as described in claim 13, further comprising a variable gain amplifier to vary gain of the signal based on an output from the switched capacitor integrator.

16. A system comprising:

an antenna; and

an integrated circuit having;

a power amplifier configured to amplify a signal for wireless transmission;

a sampler configured to sample the signal; and

a mixer configured to estimate power of the signal based on the sample.

17. A system as described in claim 16, wherein the mixer employs a mean-square technique to estimate power of the signal.

18. A system as described in claim 16, wherein the mixer is also utilized in a receiver included on the integrated circuit.

19. A system as described in claim 16, wherein the power amplifier, the sampler, and the mixer are formed using a complementary metal-oxide semiconductor device (CMOS).

20. A system as described in claim 16, wherein a frequency of the sampler utilized to sample the output is significantly lower than a frequency of the power amplifier.

21. A system as described in claim 16, further comprising a comparator configured to compare the estimated power with a reference, a result of the comparison, when output, may be utilized to vary amplitude of the signal.

22. A system as described in claim 16 embodied in a wireless phone, wireless router, computing device or peripheral device.

23. A method comprising operating a single integrated circuit to:

sample an output of a component of the single integrated circuit, wherein the component is configured to amplify a signal to be transmitted; and

estimate power of the signal based on the sample.

24. A method as described in claim 23, wherein the estimation is performed using a mean-square technique.

25. A method as described in claim 23, wherein the estimation is performed using digital processing.

26. A method as described in claim 23, wherein the estimation is performed using a mean of absolute value technique.

27. A method as described in claim 23, wherein the operating of the single integrated circuit includes managing transmission power of the signal based on the estimate.

28. A method as described in claim 27, wherein the managing includes managing gain of a variable gain amplifier of the single integrated circuit.

29. A method as described in claim 23, wherein the estimation is performed using a mixer, the operation of which is shared by a receiver of the single integrated circuit.

30. A method as described in claim 23, wherein the single integrated circuit includes:

a power amplifier; and

a sampler to sample the wireless signal;

a comparator to produce indications of a relationship of the wireless signal to a common mode level; and

a device to provide the estimate, which is an average estimate of transmission power of the signal, wherein one or more switches of the device are controlled based on the indications.