Controlling transmission mode on basis of power in preceding time slot

• US 7,177,607 B2
• Filed: 09/09/2004
• Issued: 02/13/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Weiss, Manfred
• Primary Examiner(s): Trinh; Sonny
• Application Number:
  US10/936,511
• Publication Number:
  US 20050266809A1
• Time in Patent Office: 887 Days
• Field of Search: 455/127.1, 455/127.2, 455/522, 455/127.5, 455/91, 455/117, 455/102, 455/572, 455/343.1, 332/119, 332/145, 332/151, 375/295, 375/297, 330/129, 330/133
• US Class Current: 455/127.1
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/02 Modifications of amplifiers to raise the efficiency, e.g. gliding Class A stages, use of an auxiliary oscillation
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/0205 in transistor amplifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/0211 with control of the supply voltage or current
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/0244 Stepped control
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/0277 Selecting one or more amplifiers from a plurality of amplifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/451 the amplifier being a radio frequency amplifier
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/24 of transmitter output stages
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/04 Circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2001/045 with means for improving efficiency

Abstract

A transmitter 2 comprises a power amplifier 3 and power controller 4. The power amplifier 3 is capable of both linear and non-linear operation, and is controlled by a controller 20 and first and second control loops 21,22. The second control loop 22 is used with the transmission of GMSK modulated signals, which have no amplitude modulation, operating the power amplifier 3 in a non-linear mode. The first control loop 21 is used for the transmission of EDGE modulated signals, which have a substantial amount of amplitude modulation, operating the power amplifier 3 in a linear mode. The first control loop 21 is also used with GMSK time slots if the output power to be produced by the power amplifier 3 is low and the power of an immediately preceding time slot is high. In this case, a sample and hold circuit 9, 10 of the first control loop 21 is used when the power detector voltage in the power amplifier would change over the time slot by cooling, avoiding the possibility of the power level varying over the time slot.

Claims

1. A transmitter arranged to transmit data modulated using one of a first modulation scheme and a second modulation scheme in each of a series of time slots, the transmitter comprising:

a power amplifier operable in linear and non-linear modes;

power control means, arranged to control the power supplied by the power amplifier; and

a controller arranged to control the power amplifier to operate in the linear mode in time slots when the first modulation scheme is applied, and to operate in the non-linear mode in time slots when the second modulation scheme is applied,

the controller being arranged, in respect of a time slot in which the second modulation scheme is used, to determine whether a transmission power in the time slot is lower than the transmission power in an immediately preceding time slot, and in response to a positive determination to control the power amplifier to operate in the linear mode during the time slot.

2. A transmitter according to claim 1, including a sample and hold circuit operable to maintain the gain of the power amplifier at a generally constant value between ramp up and ramp down portions of a time slot when operating in a linear mode.

3. A transmitter according to claim 1, comprising a power detector integrated with the power amplifier.

4. A communication device including a transmitter as claimed in claim 1.

5. A radiotelephone including a transmitter as claimed in claim 1.

6. A transmitter arranged to transmit data modulated using one of a first modulation scheme and a second modulation scheme in each of a series of time slots, the transmitter comprising:

a power amplifier operable in linear and non-linear modes, the power amplifier comprising first and second amplifier stages connected in series;

power control means, arranged to control the power supplied by the power amplifier, the power control means including first and second control loops; and

a controller arranged to control the power amplifier to operate in the linear mode in time slots when the first modulation scheme is applied, and to operate in the non-linear mode in time slots when the second modulation scheme is applied,

wherein the controller is arranged, in respect of a first time slot in which the second modulation scheme is used, to determine whether a transmission power in the first time slot is lower than the transmission power in a second time slot, the second time slot immediately preceding the first time slot, and in response to a positive result to the determination to control the power amplifier to operate in the linear mode during the first time slot,

in which in the non-linear mode the first amplifier stage is controlled to have a fixed gain and the second amplifier stage is controlled to have a gain dependent on a second amplifier stage control signal generated by the first control loop, and in which in the linear mode the second amplifier stage is controlled to have a fixed gain and the first amplifier stage is controlled to have a gain dependent on a first amplifier stage control signal generated by the second control loop.

7. A transmitter according to claim 6, in which the second control loop includes a sample and hold circuit operable to maintain the first amplifier stage control signal at a generally constant value between ramp up and ramp down portions of a time slot.

8. A transmitter according to claim 6, comprising a power detector integrated with the power amplifier.

9. A communication device including a transmitter as claimed in claim 6.

10. A radiotelephone including a transmitter as claimed in claim 6.

11. A method of operating a transmitter, the method comprising:

transmitting data in a series of time slots,

applying one of a first modulation scheme and a second modulation scheme to data in each time slot; and

controlling a power amplifier to operate in a linear mode in time slots when the first modulation scheme is applied, and to operate in a non-linear mode in time slots when the second modulation scheme is applied, the method further comprising, in respect of a time slot in which the second modulation scheme is used;

determining whether a transmission power in the time slot is lower than a transmission power in an immediately preceding time slot, and

in response to a positive result to the determination, controlling the power amplifier to operate in the linear mode during the time slot.