Method and apparatus to match output impedance of combined outphasing power amplifiers

• US 7,030,714 B2
• Filed: 10/01/2003
• Issued: 04/18/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Korol, Victor
• Primary Examiner(s): Pascal, Robert
• Assistant Examiner(s): Glenn, Kimberly E.
• Application Number:
  US10/674,385
• Publication Number:
  US 20050073374A1
• Time in Patent Office: 930 Days
• Field of Search: 333/124, 333/32, 333/24.R, 333/100, 365/225.7, 365/200
• US Class Current: 333/124
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/0294 using vector summing of two or more constant amplitude phase-modulated signals
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/56 Modifications of input or output impedances, not otherwise provided for
• 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 2203/21139 An impedance adaptation circuit being added at the output of a power amplifier stage
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/211 using a combination of several amplifiers H03F3/60 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 11/28 Impedance matching networks

Abstract

Briefly, an apparatus having a first capacitor-inductor-capacitor impedance converter operably coupled to a second capacitor-inductor-capacitor impedance converter. The first and second capacitor-inductor-capacitor impedance converter may combine a first and second signals of first and second outphasing power amplifiers and may provide a matched output impedance to a desired load.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a first active component coupled to a first capacitor of a first capacitor-inductor-capacitor impedance converter, to filter out a second harmonic of a first signal; and

a second active component coupled to a first capacitor of a second capacitor-inductor-capacitor impedance converter, to filter out a second harmonic of a second signal,

wherein the first and second capacitor-inductor-capacitor impedance converters are coupled by a shared capacitor to combine said first and second signals inputted to the first and second active components, respectively.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a capacitance of the first capacitor of the first capacitor-inductor-capacitor impedance converter is different from the capacitance of the first capacitor of the second capacitor-inductor-capacitor impedance converter, and wherein the capacitance of the first-capacitors of the first and second capacitor-inductor-capacitor impedance converters are both different from the capacitance of the shared capacitor.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first and second active components comprise transistors.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the transistors are bipolar transistors.

5. A communication device comprising:

a dipole antenna operably coupled to an outphasing transmitter, which comprises first and second non linear power amplifiers; and

a combiner to combine first and second signals provided by the first and second non linear power amplifiers of the outphasing transmitter, wherein the combiner includes a first active component coupled to a first capacitor of a first capacitor-indicator-capacitor impedance converter, to filter out a second harmonic of a first signal of the first non linear power amplifier, and a second active component coupled to a first capacitor of a second capacitor-inductor-capacitor impedance converter, to filter out a second harmonic of the second signal of the second non linear power amplifier.

6. The communication device of claim 5, wherein the first capacitor-inductor-capacitor impedance converter and the second capacitor-inductor-capacitor impedance converter are coupled by a shared capacitor.

7. The communication device of claim 6, wherein the capacitance of the first capacitor of the first capacitor-inductor-capacitor impedance converter is different than the capacitance of the first capacitor of the second capacitor-inductor-capacitor impedance converter, and wherein the capacitance of input capacitors of the first and second capacitor-inductor-capacitor impedance converters are both different from the capacitance of the shared capacitor.

8. The communication device of claim 5, wherein the first and second active components comprise transistors.

9. The communication device of claim 8, wherein the transistors are bipolar transistors.

10. The communication device of claim 5, wherein the outphasing transmitter comprises:

an impedance transformer to provide a direct current (DC) voltage to the first and second active components.

11. The communication device of claim 5, wherein the first active component is able to set a positive capacitance to the first capacitor of the first capacitor-inductor-capacitor impedance converter, and wherein the second active component is able to set a negative capacitance to the first capacitor of the second capacitor-inductor-capacitor impedance converter.

12. A method comprising:

providing impedance matching between a combination of first and second power amplifiers and a desired load by assigning first and second capacitance values to first and second capacitors, respectively, associated with said combination; and

filtering out a second harmonic of first and second signals provided by the first and second power amplifiers, respectively.

13. The method of claim 12, comprising assigning different capacitance values to the first and second capacitors.

14. The method of claim 12, comprising:

setting a positive capacitance to the first capacitor; and

setting a negative capacitance to the second capacitor.

15. A wireless communication device comprising:

an outphasing transmitter, which comprises first and second non linear power amplifiers to output first and second signals, respectively; and

a combiner able to combine said first and second signals of first and second non linear power amplifiers, respectively, wherein the combiner includes a first active component coupled to a first capacitor of a first capacitor-inductor-capacitor impedance converter, to filter out a second harmonic of the first signal of the first non linear power amplifier, and a second active component coupled to a first capacitor of a second capacitor-inductor-capacitor impedance converter, to filter out a second harmonic of a second signal of the second non linear power amplifier.

16. The wireless communication device of claim 15, wherein the first capacitor-inductor-capacitor impedance converter and the second capacitor-inductor-capacitor impedance converter are coupled by a shared capacitor.

17. The wireless communication device of claim 16, wherein the capacitance of the first capacitor of the first capacitor-inductor-capacitor impedance converter is different than the capacitance of the first capacitor of the second capacitor-inductor-capacitor impedance converter, and wherein the capacitance of the first capacitors of the first second capacitor-inductor-capacitor impedance converters are both different from the capacitance of the shared capacitor.

18. The wireless communication device of claim 17, wherein the first and second active components comprise transistors.

19. The wireless communication system of claim 15, wherein the outphasing transmitter comprises:

an impedance transformer to provide a direct current (DC) voltage to the first and second active components.

20. The wireless communication system of claim 15, wherein the first active component is able to set a positive capacitance to the first capacitor of the first capacitor-inductor-capacitor impedance converter, and wherein the second active component is able to set a negative capacitance to the first capacitor of the second capacitor-inductor-capacitor impedance converter.

21. A wireless communication system comprising:

a station having an outphasing transmitter comprises first and second non linear power amplifiers coupled to a combiner having a first active component coupled to a first capacitor of a first capacitor-inductor-capacitor impedance converter, to filter out a second harmonic of a first signal of the first non linear power amplifier, and a second active component coupled to a first capacitor of a second capacitor-inductor-capacitor impedance converter, to filter out a second harmonic of a second signal of the second non linear power amplifier, wherein the first and second capacitor-indicator-capacitor impedance converters are able to combine said first and second signals of first and second non linear power amplifiers, respectively.

22. The wireless communication system of claim 21, wherein the first capacitor-inductor-capacitor impedance converter and the second capacitor-inductor-capacitor impedance converter are coupled by a shared capacitor.

23. The wireless communication system of claim 22, wherein the capacitance of the input capacitor of the first capacitor-inductor-capacitor impedance converter is different than the capacitance of the input capacitor of the second capacitor-inductor-capacitor impedance converter, and wherein the capacitance of the input capacitors of the first and second capacitor-inductor-capacitor impedance converters are both different from the capacitance of the shared capacitor.

24. The wireless communication system of claim 21, wherein the first and second active components comprise transistors.

25. The wireless communication system of claim 21, wherein the outphasing transmitter comprises:

an impedance transformer to provide a direct current (DC) voltage to the first and second active components.

26. The wireless communication system of claim 21, wherein the first active component is able to set a positive capacitance to the first capacitor of the first capacitor-inductor-capacitor impedance converter and the second active component is able to set a negative capacitance to the first capacitor of the second capacitor-inductor-capacitor impedance converter.