PHASE SHIFT AND ATTENUATION CIRCUITS FOR USE WITH MULTIPLE-PATH AMPLIFIERS

• US 20180159480A1
• Filed: 01/18/2018
• Published: 06/07/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NXP USA, Inc. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Original Assignee: NXP USA, Inc. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Inventors: AHMED, ABDULRHMAN M.S., BOKATIUS, MARIO M., HART, PAUL R., STAUDINGER, JOSEPH, SWEENEY, RICHARD E.
• Granted Patent: US 10,069,463 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4282 on a serial bus, e.g. I2C bus, SPI bus on daisy chain buses G06F13/4247
• CPC Class Codes: G06G 7/10 Power supply arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/0288 using a main and one or several auxiliary peaking amplifiers whereby the load is connected to the main amplifier using an impedance inverter, e.g. Doherty amplifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/3282 Acting on the phase and the amplitude of the input signal
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/387 A circuit being added at the output of an amplifier to adapt the output impedance of the amplifier
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/438 Separate feedback of amplitude and phase signals being present
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/451 the amplifier being a radio frequency amplifier
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2203/21106 An input signal being distributed in parallel over the inputs of a plurality of power amplifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2203/21193 the supply voltage of a power amplifier being continuously controlled, e.g. by an active potentiometer
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/189 High-frequency amplifiers, e.g. radio frequency amplifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/19 with semiconductor devices only
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/211 using a combination of several amplifiers H03F3/60 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/602 Combinations of several amplifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/68 Combinations of amplifiers, e.g. multi-channel amplifiers for stereophonics power amplifiers using a combination of several semiconductor amplifiers H03F3/211; combinations of amplifiers using coupling networks with distributed constants H03F3/602
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 1/0088 using discontinuously variable devices, e.g. switch-operated
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 2201/106 being attenuating element
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/22 Demodulator circuits; Receiver circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 7/0079 Receiver details

Abstract

Embodiments of circuits for use with an amplifier that includes multiple amplifier paths include a first circuit and a second circuit in parallel with the first circuit. The first circuit includes a first input coupled to a first power divider output, a first output coupled to a first amplifier path of the multiple amplifier paths, and a first adjustable phase shifter and a first attenuator series coupled between the first input and the first output. The second circuit includes a second input coupled to a second power divider output, a second output coupled to a second amplifier path of the multiple amplifier paths, and a second adjustable phase shifter coupled between the second input and the second output.

Claims

1. An adjustable power splitter circuit comprising:

a power divider with a power divider input, a first power divider output, and a second power divider output, wherein the power divider is configured to divide a first radio frequency (RF) input signal received at the power divider input into first and second divided RF signals provided at the first and second power divider outputs, and the power divider is further configured to apply one or more fixed phase shifts to the first divided RF signal, the second divided RF signal, or both the first and second divided RF signals so that the first and second divided RF signals have about a ninety degree phase shift, with respect to each other, at the first and second power divider outputs;

a first circuit comprising a first input coupled to the first power divider output and configured to receive the first divided RF signal, a first output configured to provide a first RF output signal, and a first adjustable phase shifter circuit coupled between the first input and the first output, wherein the first adjustable phase shifter circuit is configured to apply a first phase shift to the first divided RF signal;

a second circuit in parallel with the first circuit, the second circuit comprising a second input coupled to the second power divider output and configured to receive the second divided RF signal, a second output configured to provide a second RF output signal, and a first variable attenuator circuit coupled between the second input and the second output, wherein the first variable attenuator circuit is configured to apply a first attenuation to the second divided RF signal; and

a controller configured to receive data indicating the first phase shift and the first attenuation, and to control, based on the data, application of the first phase shift by the first adjustable phase shifter circuit, and application of the first attenuation by the first variable attenuator circuit.

2. The circuit of claim 1, wherein the first circuit further comprises:

a second attenuator circuit coupled in series with the first adjustable phase shifter between the first input and the first output, wherein the first adjustable phase shifter circuit and the second attenuator circuit are separate circuits, and the second attenuator circuit is configured to apply a second attenuation to the first divided RF signal.

3. The circuit of claim 2, wherein:

the second attenuator circuit is a second variable attenuator circuit; and

the controller is configured to receive data indicating the second attenuation, and to control, based on the data, application of the second attenuation by the second variable attenuator circuit.

4. The circuit of claim 1, wherein the second circuit further comprises:

a second phase shifter circuit coupled in series with the first variable attenuator circuit between the second input and the second output, wherein the first variable attenuator circuit and the second phase shifter circuit are separate circuits, and the second phase shifter circuit is configured to apply a second phase shift to the second divided RF signal.

5. The circuit of claim 4, wherein:

the second phase shifter circuit is a second adjustable phase shifter circuit; and

the controller is configured to receive data indicating the second phase shift, and to control, based on the data, application of the second phase shift by the second adjustable phase shifter circuit.

6. The circuit of claim 1, wherein the first adjustable phase shifter circuit and the first variable attenuator circuit are separately controllable, and wherein each of the first adjustable phase shifter circuit and the first variable attenuator circuit is digitally controlled and has a plurality of states.

7. The circuit of claim 1, further comprising:

a third circuit in parallel with the first and second circuits, the third circuit comprising a third input coupled to a third power divider output, a third output, and a second attenuator circuit coupled between the third input and the third output.

8. The circuit of claim 7, wherein the power divider further comprises:

the third power divider output, wherein the power divider is configured to divide the RF signal received at the power divider input into three RF signals provided at the first, second, and third power divider outputs.

9. The circuit of claim 1, further comprising:

a third circuit in parallel with the first and second circuits, the third circuit comprising a third input coupled to a third power divider output, a third output, and a second phase shifter circuit coupled between the third input and the third output.

10. The circuit of claim 9, wherein the power divider further comprises:

the third power divider output, wherein the power divider is configured to divide the RF signal received at the power divider input into three RF signals provided at the first, second, and third power divider outputs.

11. The circuit of claim 1, further comprising:

an interface, wherein the controller is configured to receive the data indicating the first phase shift and the first attenuation to be applied via the interface.

12. The circuit of claim 11, wherein the interface is selected from a serial interface and a serial peripheral interface.

13. The circuit of claim 11, wherein the data includes a multiple-bit value that uniquely specifies one of multiple phase shifted states for the first adjustable phase shifter circuit and one of multiple attenuation states for the second attenuator circuit.

14. A Doherty power amplifier comprising:

a main amplifier path;

a peaking amplifier path;

a power divider with a power divider input, a first power divider output, and a second power divider output, wherein the power divider is configured to divide a first radio frequency (RF) input signal received at the power divider input into first and second divided RF signals provided at the first and second power divider outputs, and the power divider is further configured to apply one or more fixed phase shifts to the first divided RF signal, the second divided RF signal, or both the first and second divided RF signals so that the first and second divided RF signals have about a ninety degree phase shift, with respect to each other, at the first and second power divider outputs;

a first circuit comprising a first input coupled to the first power divider output and configured to receive the first divided RF signal, a first output configured to provide a first RF output signal, and a first adjustable phase shifter circuit coupled between the first input and the first output, wherein the first adjustable phase shifter circuit is configured to apply a first phase shift to the first divided RF signal; and

a second circuit in parallel with the first circuit, the second circuit comprising a second input coupled to the second power divider output and configured to receive the second divided RF signal, a second output configured to provide a second RF output signal, and a first variable attenuator circuit coupled between the second input and the second output, wherein the first variable attenuator circuit is configured to apply a first attenuation to the second divided RF signal.

15. The amplifier of claim 14, further comprising:

a controller configured to receive data indicating the first phase shift and the first attenuation, and to control, based on the data, application of the first phase shift by the first adjustable phase shifter circuit, and application of the first attenuation by the first variable attenuator circuit.

16. The amplifier of claim 15, wherein the controller separately controls the first adjustable phase shifter circuit and the first variable attenuator circuit.

17. The amplifier of claim 15, further comprising:

a digital data interface, wherein the controller is configured to receive the data indicating the first phase shift and the data indicating the first attenuation via the interface.

18. The amplifier of claim 15, wherein:

the first circuit is coupled between the first power divider output and the main amplifier path; and

the second circuit is coupled between the second power divider output and the peaking amplifier path.

19. The amplifier of claim 15, wherein:

the first circuit is coupled between the first power divider output and the peaking amplifier path; and

the second circuit is coupled between the second power divider output and the main amplifier path.