VSWR tolerant power detector

• US 7,256,650 B1
• Filed: 02/28/2005
• Issued: 08/14/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qorvo US, Inc. (Qorvo, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: RF Micro Devices Incorporated (Qorvo, Inc.)
• Inventors: Stockert, Terry
• Primary Examiner(s): Pascal; Robert
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wong; Alan
• Application Number:
  US11/067,800
• Time in Patent Office: 897 Days
• Field of Search: 330/140
• US Class Current: 330/124.00R
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/0216 Continuous control
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/189 High-frequency amplifiers, e.g. radio frequency amplifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/602 Combinations of several amplifiers

Abstract

A system is provided for detecting the output power of power amplifier circuitry in a transmitter of a mobile terminal. Balanced power amplifier circuitry is provided having in-phase power amplifier circuitry and quadrature phase amplifier circuitry. A power detection system provides a power detection signal indicative of the output power of the balanced power amplifier circuitry based on an in-phase detect signal indicative of some measurable parameter that varies with power, such as current, in a final amplifier stage of the in-phase amplifier circuitry and a quadrature phase detect signal indicative of some measurable parameter that varies with power, such as current, in a final stage of the quadrature phase amplifier circuitry.

Claims

1. A system for detecting an output power of power amplifier circuitry comprising:

in-phase amplifier circuitry comprising an input amplifier stage and a final amplifier stage and adapted to amplify an in-phase input signal to provide an in-phase output signal;

quadrature phase amplifier circuitry comprising an input amplifier stage and a final amplifier stage and adapted to amplify a quadrature phase input signal to provide a quadrature phase output signal;

quadrature combiner circuitry adapted to provide an amplified radio frequency (RF) output signal by combining the in-phase output signal and the quadrature phase output signal; and

a power detection system adapted to provide a power detection signal indicative of an output power of the power amplifier circuitry based on an in-phase detect signal indicative of a current through the final amplifier stage of the in-phase amplifier circuitry and a quadrature phase detect signal indicative of a current through the final amplifier stage of the quadrature phase amplifier circuitry.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the power detection system comprises:

a first input adapted to receive the in-phase detect signal from an input of the final amplifier stage of the in-phase amplifier circuitry; and

a second input adapted to receive the quadrature phase detect signal from an input of the final amplifier stage of the quadrature phase amplifier circuitry.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the power detection system is further adapted to combine the in-phase detect signal and the quadrature phase detect signal to provide a combined detect signal, and provide the power detection signal based on the combined detect signal.

4. The system of claim 1 further comprising a control system adapted to control an output power of the in-phase amplifier circuitry and the quadrature phase amplifier circuitry based on the power detection signal.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the power amplifier circuitry is included in a transmitter of a mobile terminal.

6. The system of claim 1 further comprising phase shift circuitry adapted to adjust a phase of the in-phase detect signal prior to providing the in-phase detect signal to the power detection system such that the in-phase detect signal and the quadrature phase detect signal are essentially in phase.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the power detection system comprises:

a first transistor adapted to amplify the in-phase detect signal to provide an amplified in-phase detect signal;

a second transistor adapted to amplify the quadrature phase detect signal to provide an amplified quadrature phase detect signal, wherein an output of the first transistor is coupled to an output of the second transistor such that the amplified in-phase detect signal is combined with the amplified quadrature phase detect signal to provide a combined detect signal; and

detection circuitry adapted to provide the power detection signal based on the combined detect signal.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein the detection circuitry comprises:

a rectifier diode having an anode adapted to rectify the combined detect signal to provide a rectified signal; and

low-pass filtering circuitry adapted to filter the rectified signal to provide the power detection signal.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the detector circuitry further comprises biasing circuitry adapted to bias the rectifier diode.

10. The system of claim 7 wherein the first transistor is a scaled version of the final amplifier stage of the in-phase amplifier circuitry, and the second transistor is a scaled version of the final amplifier stage of the quadrature phase amplifier circuitry.

11. The system of claim 1 further comprising quadrature coupling circuitry adapted to provide the in-phase input signal and the quadrature phase input signal based on a radio frequency (RF) input signal.

12. A system for detecting an output power of power amplifier circuitry comprising:

a balanced power amplifier comprising in-phase amplifier circuitry adapted to amplify an in-phase radio frequency (RF) signal and quadrature phase amplifier circuitry adapted to amplify a quadrature phase RF input signal; and

a power detection system adapted to provide a power detection signal indicative of an output power of the power amplifier circuitry based on an in-phase detect signal indicative of a current through a final amplifier stage of the in-phase amplifier circuitry and a quadrature phase detect signal indicative of a current through a final amplifier stage of the quadrature phase amplifier circuitry, wherein a total of the current through the final amplifier stage of the in-phase amplifier circuitry and the current through the final amplifier stage of the quadrature phase amplifier circuitry is relatively constant as load impedance varies for a given power level of the balanced power amplifier.

13. A system for detecting an output power of power amplifier circuitry comprising:

in-phase amplifier circuitry adapted to amplify an in-phase input signal to provide an in-phase output signal;

quadrature phase amplifier circuitry adapted to amplify a quadrature phase input signal to provide a quadrature phase output signal;

quadrature combiner circuitry adapted to provide an amplified radio frequency (RF) output signal by combining the in-phase output signal and the quadrature phase output signal; and

a power detection system adapted to provide a power detection signal indicative of an output power of the power amplifier circuitry based on an in-phase detect signal indicative of a current through the in-phase amplifier circuitry and a quadrature phase detect signal indicative of a current through the quadrature phase amplifier circuitry.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein the power detection system is further adapted to combine the in-phase detect signal and the quadrature phase detect signal to provide a combined detect signal, and provide the power detection signal based on the combined detect signal.

15. The system of claim 13 further comprising phase shift circuitry adapted to adjust a phase of the in-phase detect signal prior to providing the in-phase detect signal to the power detection system such that the in-phase detect signal and the quadrature phase detect signal are essentially in phase.

16. The system of claim 13 further comprising phase shift circuitry adapted to adjust a phase of the quadrature phase detect signal prior to providing the quadrature phase detect signal to the power detection system such that the in-phase detect signal and the quadrature phase detect signal are essentially in phase.

17. The system of claim 13 further comprising phase shift circuitry adapted to adjust a phase of the in-phase detect signal and a phase of the quadrature phase detect signal prior to providing the in-phase detect signal and the quadrature phase detect signal to the power detection system such that the in-phase detect signal and the quadrature phase detect signal are essentially in phase.

18. The system of claim 13 further comprising phase shift circuitry adapted to adjust a phase of the in-phase detect signal prior to providing the in-phase detect signal to the power detection system.

19. The system of claim 13 further comprising phase shift circuitry adapted to adjust a phase of the quadrature phase detect signal prior to providing the quadrature phase detect signal to the power detection system.

20. The system of claim 13 further comprising phase shift circuitry adapted to adjust a phase of the in-phase detect signal and a phase of the quadrature phase detect signal prior to providing the in-phase detect signal and the quadrature phase detect signal to the power detection system.

21. The system of claim 13 wherein the power detection system comprises:

a first transistor adapted to amplify the in-phase detect signal to provide an amplified in-phase detect signal;

a second transistor adapted to amplify the quadrature phase detect signal to provide an amplified quadrature phase detect signal, wherein an output of the first transistor is coupled to an output of the second transistor such that the amplified in-phase detect signal is combined with the amplified quadrature phase detect signal to provide a combined detect signal; and

detection circuitry adapted to provide the power detection signal based on the combined detect signal.

22. The system of claim 21 wherein the detection circuitry comprises:

a rectifier diode having an anode adapted to rectify the combined detect signal to provide a rectified signal; and

low-pass filtering circuitry adapted to filter the rectified signal to provide the power detection signal.

23. The system of claim 22 wherein the detector circuitry further comprises biasing circuitry adapted to bias the rectifier diode.

24. The system of claim 21 wherein the first transistor is a scaled version of a final amplifier stage of the in-phase amplifier circuitry, and the second transistor is a scaled version of a final amplifier stage of the quadrature phase amplifier circuitry.