Linearizing circuit for dectection of a RF-power sensor

• US 5,214,372 A
• Filed: 10/11/1991
• Issued: 05/25/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/1989
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Nokia Mobile Phones UK Limited (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Vaisanen, Risto, Sarasmo, Jukka, Pekkarinen, Vesa
• Primary Examiner(s): Karlsen, Ernest F.
• Assistant Examiner(s): BURNS, WILLIAM
• Application Number:
  US07/777,453
• Time in Patent Office: 592 Days
• Field of Search: 324/95, 324/119, 324/114, 307/261, 307/351
• US Class Current: 324/95
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 21/01 in circuits having distributed constants G01R21/04, G01R21/07, G01R21/09, G01R21/12 take precedence

Abstract

The present invention concerns a circuit processes the power signal emitted from an RF power sensor (SK) of a radio telephone to create a detector voltage which is proportional to the power level of the radio telephone transmitter. The circuit comprises a transistor (Q2) acting as an active rectifier, which in the ascending part of the positive half cycle of the power signal charges a capacitor (C3). During the descending part of the power signal the capacitor starts to discharge with a time constant which is remarkably greater than the cycle length of the power signal. The transistor is biassed by means of a transistor (Q1) so that it is conductive even at the lowest power levels.

Claims

1. A circuit for processing an RF power signal obtained from an output of an RF power sensor (SK) used in measuring the transmission power level of a transmitter in order to develop a detector voltage (Vo) which is proportional to said power level, characterized in that the circuit comprises:

an active half-wave rectifier means including a first rectifying transistor (Q2) controlled by the RF power signal obtained from the power sensor (SK), the first transistor having its base connected to the power signal at the sensor output;

an energy storing means (C3) charged by said half-wave rectifier means (Q2) during a positive half cycle of the RF power signal obtained from the power sensor (SK), the emitter of said half-wave rectifier means connected to the energy storage means (C3) and the voltage of said storage means being the detector voltage (Vo),

resistance means (R6) connected to discharge said storage means during the descending part of the power signal; and

a biasing means (Q1), which biases said half-wave rectifier means (Q2) so that said half-wave rectifier means is conductive even at the lowest levels of the positive half of the RF power signal obtained from the power sensor (SK).

2. A circuit for processing an RF power signal obtained from an output of an RF power sensor (SK) used in measuring the transmission power level of a transmitter in order to develop a detector voltage (Vo) which is proportional to said power level, characterized in that the circuit comprises:

an active rectifier means including a first rectifying transistor (Q2) controlled by the RF power signal obtained from the power sensor (SK), the first transistor having its base connected to the power signal at the sensor output;

an energy storing means (C3) charged by said rectifier means (Q2) during a positive half cycle of the RF power signal obtained from the power sensor (SK), the emitter of said rectifier means connected to the energy storage means (C3) and the voltage of said storage means being the detector voltage (Vo),

resistance means (R6) connected to discharge said storage means during the descending part of the power signal; and

a biasing means (Q1), which biases the rectifier means (Q2) so that the rectifier means is conductive even at the lowest levels of the positive half of the RF power signal obtained from the power sensor (SK), the biasing means including a second transistor of the same type as the first transistor, and the second transistor (Q1) having its base and collector coupled so as to act as a diode, and the coupled base and collector being coupled to the base of the first transistor (Q2) such that the base/emitter voltage of the first transistor (Q2) is very small, e.g., 80 mV, and the idle current is about 100 μ

A.

3. A circuit for processing an RF power signal obtained from an output of an RF power sensor (SK) used in measuring the transmission power level of a transmitter in order to develop a detector voltage (Vo) which is proportional to said power level, characterized in that the circuit comprises:

an active rectifier means including a first rectifying transistor (Q2) controlled by the RF power signal obtained from the power sensor (SK), the first transistor having its base connected to the power signal at the sensor output;

an energy storing means (C3) charged by said rectifier means (Q2) during a positive half cycle of the RF power signal obtained from the power sensor (SK), the emitter of said rectifier means connected to the energy storage means (C3) and the voltage of said storage means being the detector voltage (Vo), the energy storing means (C3) including a capacitor which is discharged through resistance means with a time constant which is considerably greater than the cycle length of the power signal;

the resistance means (R6) connected to discharge said storage means during the descending part of the power signal; and

a biasing means (Q1), which biases the rectifier means (Q2) so that the rectifier means is conductive even at the lowest levels of the positive half of the RF power signal obtained from the power sensor (SK).