High frequency amplifier circuit

• US 6,111,461 A
• Filed: 10/14/1998
• Issued: 08/29/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Matsuno, Noriaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Pascal, Robert
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Patricia T.
• Application Number:
  US09/172,145
• Time in Patent Office: 685 Days
• Field of Search: 330/127, 330/132, 330/136, 330/149, 330/297, 330/302
• US Class Current: 330/132
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/3247 using feedback acting on predistortion circuits H03F1/3264 takes precedence

Abstract

A high frequency amplifier circuit includes the voltage source supplying the power source voltage on the output side of the high frequency amplifying active element. The high frequency amplifier is constructed with a voltage detector detecting a difference frequency voltage of the input signal at a frequency lower than the input signal of the high frequency amplifier circuit and control portion for attenuating the difference frequency voltage from the output signal by controlling the power source voltage on the basis of the difference frequency voltage detected by the voltage detector. Therefore, distortion due to modulating the input signal with the difference frequency component of the input signal can be reduced.

Claims

1. A high frequency amplifier circuit comprising a voltage supply means for supplying a power source voltage to an output side of a high frequency amplifying active element, said supply means including:

signal detecting means for detecting a difference frequency signal of an input signal at a frequency lower than said input signal of said high frequency amplifier circuit; and

signal attenuation means for attenuating said difference frequency signal from an output signal by controlling said power source voltage on the basis of said difference frequency signal detected by said signal detecting means.

2. A high frequency amplifier circuit as set forth in claim 1, wherein said signal detecting means detects a voltage of said difference frequency signal from an output voltage generated on the output side of said high frequency amplifying active element.

3. A high frequency amplifier circuit as set forth in claim 1, wherein said signal detecting means predicts a voltage component of said difference frequency signal generated on the output side from a current flowing through said voltage supply means.

4. A high frequency amplifier circuit as set forth in claim 1, wherein said signal detecting means predicts a difference frequency voltage of said output signal from said input signal.

5. A high frequency amplifier circuit as set forth in claim 1, wherein said signal detecting means comprises resistor for extracting a part of an output current generated on the output side of said high frequency amplifying active element, converting means for converting a current flowing through said resistor means into a voltage and means for extracting only said difference frequency voltage from a voltage after conversion of said converting means, and said signal attenuating means comprises transfer function means for adjusting an intensity and a phase of frequency characteristics of the difference frequency voltage after extraction and converting said difference frequency voltage into a voltage with 180°

of phase shift, said transfer function means controlling a power source voltage output from said voltage supply means by a voltage output from said transfer function means.

6. A high frequency amplifier circuit as set forth in claim 1, wherein said input signal is a signal derived by modulating a carrier wave with a base band signal and said signal detecting means predicts said difference frequency voltage of said output signal from a string of high level and low level of said base band signal.

7. A high frequency amplifier circuit as set forth in claim 2, wherein the voltage detected by said signal detecting means is an instantaneous value.

8. A high frequency amplifier circuit as set forth in claim 2, wherein said signal attenuation means controls said voltage supply means for outputting a voltage 180°

phase shifted with respect to said difference frequency voltage.

9. A high frequency amplifier circuit as set forth in claim 1, wherein said high frequency amplifying active element is a field effect transistor.

10. A high frequency amplifier circuit as set forth in claim 1, wherein said high frequency amplifying active element is a bipolar transistor.

11. A high frequency amplifier circuit as set forth in claim 1, wherein said signal detecting means comprises a signal detector which detects a voltage of said difference frequency signal but does not detect a voltage of said input signal.

12. A high frequency amplifier circuit as set forth in claim 1, wherein said signal detecting means comprises a low pass filter which passes said difference frequency signal but blocks said input signal, and said voltage detector detects a voltage of said difference frequency signal past through said low pass filter.

13. A high frequency amplifier circuit as set forth in claim 1, wherein a signal output from said signal detecting means is an analog data, said signal attenuation means comprises an AD converter converting said analog data into a digital data, an arithmetic portion performing arithmetic operation of said digital data output from said AD converter, and a DA converter converting a digital data output from said arithmetic portion into an analog signal.

14. A high frequency amplifier circuit as set forth in claim 1, wherein said signal output from said signal detecting means is an analog data, and said signal attenuation means comprises an AD converter converting said analog data into a digital data, and an arithmetic portion performing arithmetic operation of said digital data output from said AD converter.

15. A high frequency amplifier circuit as set forth in claim 1, wherein said output of said signal detecting means is a digital signal, and said signal attenuation means comprises an arithmetic portion performing arithmetic operation of said digital data output from said signal detecting means, and a DA converter converting a digital data output from said arithmetic portion into an analog signal.

16. A high frequency amplifier circuit as set forth in claim 3, wherein a signal output from said signal detecting means is an analog data, said signal attenuation means comprises an AD converter converting said analog data into a digital data, an arithmetic portion performing arithmetic operation of said digital data output from said AD converter, and a DA converter converting a digital data output from said arithmetic portion into an analog signal.

17. A high frequency amplifier circuit as set forth in claim 3, wherein said signal output from said signal detecting means is an analog data, and said signal attenuation means comprises an AD converter converting said analog data into a digital data, and an arithmetic portion performing arithmetic operation of said digital data output from said AD converter.

18. A high frequency amplifier circuit as set forth in claim 3, wherein said output of said signal detecting means is a digital signal, and said signal attenuation means comprises an arithmetic portion performing arithmetic operation of said digital data output from said signal detecting means, and a DA converter converting a digital data output from said arithmetic portion into an analog signal.

19. A high frequency amplifier circuit as set forth in claim 4, wherein said signal detecting means comprises a signal analyzer for analyzing a spectrum of said input signal and a difference frequency component predictor predicting a difference frequency component on the basis of the analyzed spectrum, said signal attenuation means comprises control signal generator generating a control signal on the basis of the difference frequency component predicted by said difference frequency component predictor.

20. A high frequency amplifier circuit as set forth in claim 4, wherein said input signal is a signal derived by modulating a carrier wave with a base band signal, said signal detecting means comprises a down converter lowering said input signal into a base band, an AD converter converting an output from said down converter into a digital data and a difference frequency component predictor predicting a difference frequency component on the basis of the output from said AD converter, and said signal attenuation means comprises control signal generator generating a control signal on the basis of a difference frequency component predicted by said difference frequency component predictor.

21. A high frequency amplifier circuit as set forth in claim 4, wherein said input signal is a signal derived by modulating a carrier wave with a base band signal, said signal detecting means comprises a down converter lowering said input signal into a base band, a spectrum analyzer performing spectrum analysis of said base band output from said down converter, and a difference frequency component predictor predicting a difference frequency component from a spectrum analyzed by said spectrum analyzer, and said signal attenuation means comprises control signal generator generating a control signal on the basis of a difference frequency component predicted by said difference frequency component predictor.

22. A high frequency amplifier circuit as set forth in claim 20, wherein said base band signal is a data derived by digitizing a voice, and said modulation is a QPSK modulation.

23. A difference frequency attenuating circuit for substantially removing a difference frequency signal from an output of a high frequency amplifier, comprising:

a voltage detector coupled to said output of said amplifier for detecting said difference frequency;

a voltage source for supplying a voltage to said output of said amplifier; and

a control portion responsive to said voltage detector for controlling said voltage source to substantially remove said difference frequency signal.