Output level control circuit for use in RF power amplifier

• US 5,196,806 A
• Filed: 10/21/1991
• Issued: 03/23/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Ichihara, Masaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Mullins, James B.
• Application Number:
  US07/779,879
• Time in Patent Office: 519 Days
• Field of Search: 330/127, 330/129, 330/134, 330/137, 330/279, 455/89, 455/116, 455/126, 455/127, 375/98, 375/60, 375/71
• US Class Current: 330/137
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2203/7212 the gated amplifier being switched on or off by switching off or on a feedback control loop of the amplifier
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 3/3047 for intermittent signals, e.g. burst signals

Abstract

An output level control circuit for a high frequency power amplifier for amplifying high frequency signals having the "on" and "off" periods of transmit signals in a fixed recurrent cycle such as in a TDMA radio communication system or a GSM system. The high frequency detecting circuit for the output level control circuit is responsive to part of the output of the high frequency power amplifier and a control signal corresponding to said "on" and "off" periods of transmission power for generating an output level control signal for the high frequency power amplifier. The high frequency detecting circuit has detecting means for detecting the wave height of the high frequency signals and differential voltage generating means for generating, for each of said recurrent cycles, a differential voltage between the detection output during the "on" period and the detection output during the "off" period immediately preceding it. This differential voltage is used as the temperature-compensated output level control signal for the high frequency power amplifier.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

power amplifier means responsive to a first control signal for amplifying a high frequency signal to produce an amplified signal;

high frequency power extracting means for taking out part of said amplified signal to produce an extracted signal;

detecting means responsive to a second control signal having "on" and "off" periods in a recurrent cycle for detecting said extracted signal to produce, for each of said cycles, a control voltage representing a voltage difference between said extracted signals taken out during one "on" period of said second control signal and an "off" period immediately preceding said one "on" period, respectively; and

control circuit means responsive to said control voltage and to said second control signal for producing and supplying said first control signal to said power amplifier.

2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said detecting means comprises a detecting diode.

3. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said detecting means comprises a sample hold circuit for sampling-holding the output of said detecting diode during said "off" period for each of said recurrent cycles;

and

means for subtracting the output of said sample hold circuit from the output of said detecting diode in each of said recurrent cycles.

4. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said detecting means comprises:

a smoothing circuit for smoothing the output of said detecting diode; and

an amplifier for amplifying the output of said smoothing circuit.

5. An output level control circuit for use in a high frequency power amplifier responsive to a control signal having "on" and "off" periods in a recurrent cycle for amplifying an intermittent high frequency signal having a waveform corresponding to said control signal and supplying them to an antenna, comprising high frequency power extracting means for taking out part of the output of said high frequency power amplifier, and a high frequency detecting circuit responsive to the output of said extracting means and said control signal for generating a detection output representing the high of said waveform, wherein:

said high frequency detecting circuit comprises detecting means supplied with said high frequency signal and generating an output representing the level of said high frequency signal;

means for analog-to-digital (A/D) converting the output of said detecting means;

signal accumulating means for accumulating the output of said A/D converting means corresponding to the output of said detecting means during each of said "off" periods and supplying the accumulated output of said A/D converting means at the beginning of the "on" period immediately following that "off" period; and

means for subtracting the output of said signal accumulating means from the output of said A/D converting means in each of said recurrent cycles.

6. A high frequency detecting circuit, in an output level control circuit for use in a high frequency power amplifier responsive to a control signal having "on" and "off" periods in a fixed recurrent cycle for amplifying an intermittent high frequency signal having a waveform corresponding to said control signal and supplying them to an antenna, responsive to an extracted output from high frequency power extracting means, which takes out part of the output of said high frequency power amplifier, and said control signal for generating a detection output representing the height of said waveform and supplying that detection output to amplitude control means for controlling the amplitude of said high frequency power amplifier,

said high frequency detecting circuit comprising:

detecting means supplied with said high frequency signal and generating an output representing the level of said high frequency signal; and

differential voltage generating means for generating, for each of said recurrent cycles, a voltage representing the difference between the output of said detecting means during one "on" period and the output of said detecting means during an "off" period immediately preceding said one "on" period.

7. A high frequency detecting circuit, as claimed in claim 6, wherein said detecting means comprises a detecting diode.

8. A high frequency detecting circuit, as claimed in claim 6, wherein said differential voltage generating means comprises a sample hold circuit for sampling-holding the output of said detecting means during said "off" period for each of said recurrent cycles and supplying the output of said detecting means, which has been so sampled and held, during said "off" period and the immediately following "on" period, and

means for subtracting the output of said sample hold circuit from the output of said detecting means in each of said recurrent cycles.

9. A high frequency detecting circuit, as claimed in claim 6, wherein said detecting means comprises a diode for generating a voltage representing said level of said high frequency signal,

a smoothing circuit connected to the output of said diode, and

an amplifier for amplifying the output of said smoothing circuit.

10. A high frequency detecting circuit, in an output level control circuit for use in a high frequency power amplifier responsive to a control signal having "on" and "off" periods in a fixed recurrent cycle for amplifying an intermittent high frequency signal having a waveform corresponding to said control signal and supplying them to an antenna, responsive to an extracted output from high frequency power extracting means, which takes out part of the output of said high frequency power amplifier, and said control signal for generating a detection output representing the height of said waveform and supplying that detection output to amplitude control means for controlling the amplitude of said high frequency power amplifier, wherein:

said high frequency detecting circuit comprises detecting means supplied with said high frequency signal and generating an output representing the level of said high frequency signal;

means for analog-to-digital (a/D) converting the output of said detecting means;

signal accumulating means for accumulating the output of said A/D converting means corresponding to the output of said detecting means during each of said "off" periods and supplying the accumulated output of said A/D converting means at the beginning of the "on" period immediately following that "off" period; and

means for subtracting the output of said signal accumulating means from the output of said A/D converting means in each of said recurrent cycles.

11. An apparatus comprising:

power amplifier means responsive to a first control signal for amplifying a high frequency signal to produce an amplified signal;

high frequency power extracting means for taking out part of said amplified signal to produce an extracted signal;

detecting means responsive to a second control signal having "on" and "off" periods in a recurrent cycle for detecting said extracted signal to produce, for each of said cycles, a control voltage, said detecting means including a detecting diode;

means for placing the output of said detecting means at a prescribed voltage during said "off" period and supplying said detecting diode with a forward bias current having a magnitude corresponding to said prescribed voltage during said "on" period; and

control circuit means responsive to said control voltage and to said control signal for producing and supplying said first control signal to said power amplifier.

12. An apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein the amperage of said forward bias current is set in reference to the output voltage of said detecting means during said "off" period.

13. A high frequency detecting circuit, in an output level control circuit for use in a high frequency power amplifier responsive to a control signal having "on" and "off" periods in a fixed recurrent cycle for amplifying an intermittent high frequency signal having a waveform corresponding to said control signal and supplying the amplified signal to an antenna, responsive to an extracted output from high frequency power extracting means, which takes out part of the output of said high frequency power amplifier, and said control signal for generating a detection output representing the height of said waveform and supplying that detection output to amplitude control means for controlling the amplitude of the output of said high frequency power amplifier,

said high frequency detecting circuit comprising detecting means supplied with said high frequency signal and generating an output representing the level of said high frequency signal, said detecting means includes:

a detecting diode; and

means for placing the output of said high frequency detecting circuit at a prescribed voltage during said "off" period and supplying said detecting diode with a forward bias current of a magnitude corresponding to said prescribed voltage during said "on" period.

14. A high frequency detecting circuit, as claimed in claim 13, wherein the amperage of said forward bias current is set in reference to the output voltage of said high frequency detecting circuit during said "off"period.