Method and apparatus for controlling the output power of a power amplifier
First Claim
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1. A circuit for controlling the output power of a power amplifier comprising:
- a voltage sensor;
a current sensor;
a resistive element, wherein the current sensor senses current through the resistive element;
a switching device coupled between the resistive element and a voltage source; and
control circuitry coupled to the voltage sensor and the current sensor for controlling the output power of the power amplifier.
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Abstract
A method and apparatus is provided for use with a power amplifier to provide a regulated supply to the power amplifier. The invention uses a combination of voltage and current regulation to overcome the problems encountered in the prior art. In one example, voltage regulation is used at high power levels, while current regulation is used at low power levels.
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Citations
41 Claims
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1. A circuit for controlling the output power of a power amplifier comprising:
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a voltage sensor;
a current sensor;
a resistive element, wherein the current sensor senses current through the resistive element;
a switching device coupled between the resistive element and a voltage source; and
control circuitry coupled to the voltage sensor and the current sensor for controlling the output power of the power amplifier. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A power regulator for use with a power amplifier, the power regulator comprising:
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a voltage sensor, wherein the voltage sensor generates a first signal;
a voltage regulator;
a current sensor, wherein the current sensor generates a second signal;
a current regulator; and
control circuitry coupled to the voltage regulator and to the current regulator for regulating the output power of the power amplifier using the voltage regulator and the current regulator, wherein the control circuitry uses either the first or second signals at any one time to control the output power of the power amplifier, wherein the control circuitry uses the signal having the lower voltage level to control the output power of the power amplifier, and wherein the control circuitry uses the first signal to control the output power of the power amplifier during high power levels and the second signal to control the output power of the power amplifier during low power levels. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. An integrated circuit comprising:
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a power amplifier;
a voltage sensor, wherein the voltage sensor generates a first signal relating to the sensed voltage;
a current sensor, wherein the current sensor generates a second signal relating to the sensed current; and
control circuitry coupled to the voltage sensor and the current sensor for controlling the output power of the power amplifier using information from the voltage and current sensors, wherein the control circuitry uses the generated signals to control the output power of the power amplifier, and wherein the control circuitry uses the generated signal with the lesser voltage level to control the output power of the power amplifier. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19)
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20. A method of controlling the output power of a power amplifier comprising:
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providing a voltage sensor to generate a first signal;
providing a voltage regulator;
providing a current sensor to generate a second signal;
providing a current regulator; and
controlling the output power of the power amplifier using either the first or second signals, wherein the output power is controlled using the signal having the lower voltage level, and wherein the output power is controlled using the voltage regulator at high power levels and using the current regulator at low power levels.
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21. A circuit for controlling the output power of a power amplifier comprising:
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a voltage sensor, wherein the voltage sensor generates a first signal relating to the sensed voltage;
a current sensor, wherein the current sensor generates a second signal relating to the sensed current; and
control circuitry coupled to the voltage sensor and the current sensor for controlling the output power of the power amplifier, wherein the control circuitry uses the generated signals to control the output power of the power amplifier, and wherein the control circuitry uses the generated signal with the lesser voltage level to control the output power of the power amplifier. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31)
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32. A circuit for controlling the output power of a power amplifier comprising:
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a voltage sensor, wherein the voltage sensor generates a first signal relating to the sensed voltage;
a current sensor, wherein the current sensor generates a second signal relating to the sensed current; and
control circuitry coupled to the voltage sensor and the current sensor for controlling the output power of the power amplifier, wherein the control circuitry uses the generated signals to control the output power of the power amplifier, wherein the control circuitry generates a third signal based on the first and second signals, and wherein the third signal approximates the first signal over a first output power level range and approximates the second signal over a second output power level range. - View Dependent Claims (33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41)
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Specification