Power supply compensation

• US 7,583,137 B2
• Filed: 10/11/2004
• Issued: 09/01/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/10/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Music Group IP Limited (Music Group Services US Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: The TC Group A/S (Music Group Services US Incorporated)
• Inventors: Pedersen, Kim Rishoj, Arkn.ae butted.s-Pedersen, Lars
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Khanh V
• Application Number:
  US10/575,495
• Publication Number:
  US 20070200626A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,786 Days
• Field of Search: 330/10, 330/127, 330/129, 330/137, 330/297, 330/172
• US Class Current: 330/10
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/0211 with control of the supply voltage or current
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/30 Modifications of amplifiers to reduce influence of variations of temperature or supply voltage or other physical parameters in differential amplifiers H03F3/45479
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/303 using a switching device H03F1/305, H03F3/005, H03F3/38 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/32 Modifications of amplifiers to reduce non-linear distortion by negative feedback H03F1/34
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/3247 using feedback acting on predistortion circuits H03F1/3264 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/217 Class D power amplifiers; Switching amplifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/2175 using analogue-digital or digital-analogue conversion H03F3/2173 takes precedence

Abstract

The invention relates to an amplifier comprising amplification means (AM) comprising an input and an output,

• said amplification means (AM) comprising a switching output stage delivering at least one output signal (OUS) via said output,
• said amplification means being fed by power supply means (PSM)
• said amplifier further comprising compensation means (CM) providing a compensation signal (CS) derived from the power supply voltage (PSV) of the power supply means (PSM), said compensation signal (CS) comprising a substantially inverse representation of said power supply voltage (PSV) and
• said compensation signal (CS) being fed to said amplification means (AM).

According to the invention, an effective error compensation of the output switching stage may in practice be implemented by establishment of a compensation, which on a run-time basis is based on the voltage of the power supply currently applied in the output switching stage.

Claims

1. An amplifier comprising amplification means comprising an input and an output,

said amplification means comprising a switching output stage delivering at least one output signal via said output,

said amplification means being fed by power supply means,

said amplifier flirt her comprising compensation means providing a compensation signal derived from the power supply voltage of the power supply means,

said compensation signal comprising a substantially inverse representation of said power supply voltage and

said compensation signal being fed to said amplification means via at least one multiplication point in which the compensation signal is multiplied with an input signal received from said input.

2. An amplifier according to claim 1, wherein said substantially inverse representation of the power supply voltage is scaled by a ratio substantially corresponding to a desired amplification between the output and the input of the amplification means.

3. An amplifier according to claim 1, wherein said compensation signal is established for maintaining a substantially fixed utility area of a period of the amplified pulse width modulated signal regardless of changes in the power supply voltage, wherein the fixed utility area means the area bounded by a graphical representation of a pulse of an output signal from said switching output stage, and wherein maintaining a substantially fixed utility area means that the utility areas that represent equal values of said input signal are maintained equal by means of the compensation signal regardless of changes in the power supply voltage.

4. An amplifier according to claim 1, wherein said amplifier further comprises extrapolation means adapted for modifying said compensation signal according to a predefined extrapolation algorithm.

5. An amplifier according to claim 1, wherein said compensation signal is established on the basis of an inverting generator fed by a power supply comprising a circuit adapted for establishing an inverse signal of a voltage of said power supply, said inverting generator being comprised by said compensation means.

6. An amplifier according to claim 5, wherein said inverting generator comprises at least one feedback loop having a power supply voltage dependent feedback.

7. An amplifier according to claim 5, wherein said inverting generator comprises

at least one forward path having an input and an output,

at least one reference oscillator, and

at least one feedback path derived from said forward path and fed back to said input of said forward path by means of a summing point subtracting the feed-back signal from an input received from said reference oscillator,

wherein said feedback path comprises a power supply voltage dependent feedback.

8. An amplifier according to claim 7, wherein said inverting generator outputs a digital signal on an output of said forward path derived from at least one analog signal received in an input.

9. An amplifier according to claim 7, wherein said forward path comprises a limiter adapted for providing a pulse width modulated output signal of said forward path.

10. An amplifier according to claims 9, wherein said forward path further comprises a time quantizer converting said pulse width modulated signal, preferably two-level, into a time discrete signal fed to the output of said forward path.

11. An amplifier according to claim 1, wherein said input signal is a digital input signal.

12. An amplifier according to claim 1, wherein said amplifier further comprises decimation means adapted for transforming said compensation signal into compatibility with said input signal.

13. An amplifier according to claim 1, wherein signal processing performed by said amplification means multiplicatively depends on the power supply voltage.

14. An amplifier according to claim 7, wherein said inverting generator comprises at least one self-oscillating loop.

15. An amplifier according to claim 14, wherein said self-oscillating loop comprises said at least one forward path and said at least one feedback path.

16. An amplifier according to claim 7, wherein said forward path comprises at least one loop filter.

17. An amplifier according to claim 16, wherein said at least one loop filter is adapted to facilitate self-oscillation.

18. An amplifier according to claim 14, wherein a switch frequency of a pulse width modulated output signal provided by a limiter is at least partly defined by said at least one self-oscillating loop.

19. An amplifier according to claim 16, wherein an order of said at least one loop filter is at least first order.

20. An amplifier according to claim 16, wherein an order of said at least one loop filter is at least second order.

21. An amplifier according to claim 5, wherein an effective order of an open loop transfer function of said inverting generator is at least one, preferably substantially two, wherein the effective order means a filter order apparent from the slope of a logarithmic frequency response gain plot of said open loop transfer function;

said effective order preferably being derived by dividing a gradient of said plot by a gradient of a first-order transfer function.

22. An amplifier according to claim 14, wherein a phase margin of the open loop characteristic of said self-oscillating loop for frequencies within a frequency band starting from an upper limit of a utility frequency band and ending at the switch frequency is between 0°

and 60°

, more preferably between 0° and

45°

, and even more preferably between 0° and

30°

.

23. An amplifier according to claim 5, wherein said inverting generator comprises switch frequency control means.

24. An amplifier according to claim 23, wherein said switch frequency control means comprises an oscillating overlay signal generator connected to said at least one self-oscillating loop.

25. An amplifier according to claim 7, wherein said reference oscillator provides a composite reference signal comprising a DC reference value and an oscillating overlay signal.

26. An amplifier according to claim 25, wherein said oscillating overlay signal comprises a peak-to-peak amplitude of less than 10% of said DC reference value, preferably less than 5% of said DC reference value.

27. An amplifier according to claim 10, wherein a clock frequency of said time quantizer is at least ten times greater than a switch frequency of said pulse width modulated output signal provided by said limiter, preferably at least hundred times greater.

28. An amplifier according to claim 12, wherein said decimation means comprises an anti-aliasing filter having an impulse response which is longer than a period of a pulse width modulated output signal established by a limiter and a time quantizer comprised by said compensation means, preferably at least the length of two times the period of said pulse width modulated output signal, and even more preferably at least the length of three times the period of said pulse width modulated output signal.

29. An amplifier according to claim 28, wherein a stopband attenuation of said anti-aliasing filter of said decimation means is greater than 50 dB, preferably greater than 70 dB.

30. An amplifier according to claim 28, wherein said anti-aliasing filter of said decimation means comprises stopbands defined by:

Stopband=k·

f_Sout±

BW,

where k =1, 2, 3, . . . until the Nyquist frequency is reached, f_Sout is the output rate of the decimation means and BW is the utility bandwidth, e.g. 20 kHz.

31. An amplifier according to any of the claims 28, wherein said anti-aliasing filter of said decimation means comprises at least two, preferably three, cascaded running average FIR filters.

32. An amplifier according claim 31, wherein said anti-aliasing filter of said decimation means further comprises two half-band FIR filters.

33. An amplifier according to claim 6, wherein said power supply voltage dependent feedback comprises buffering means.

34. An amplifier according to claim 33, wherein said buffering means comprises certain specifications substantially representing corresponding specifications of said amplification means.

35. An amplifier according to claim 5, wherein said inverting generator is adapted for establishing at least one reciprocated electrical signal, said inverting generator comprising at least one feedback loop, said at least one feedback loop comprising at least one forward path being fed by a reference signal and comprising at least one non-linearity, and at least one feedback path comprising at least one variable amplifier, wherein at least one of said at least one variable amplifier is controlled on the basis of an electrical signal.

36. An amplifier according to claim 35, wherein at least one of said at least one feedback loop of said inverting generator comprises at least one quantization means.

37. An amplifier according to claim 35, wherein at least one of said at least one feedback loop of said inverting generator comprises at least one digital-to-analog conversion means.

38. An amplifier according to claim 35, wherein at least one of said at least one feedback loop of said inverting generator comprises at least one loop filter.

39. An amplifier according to claim 5, wherein at least one forward path of said inverting generator comprises at least one analog-to-digital converter, preferably comprising at least one latch, and at least one of said at least one feedback path of said inverting generator comprises at least one digital-to-analog converter.

40. An amplifier according to claim 1, wherein said input receives at least one input signal.

41. An amplifier according to claim 1, wherein said input receives a composite signal, said composite signal comprises at least two input signals.

42. An amplifier according to claim 41, wherein said composite signal comprises two input signals, six signals, or eight signals.

43. An amplifier according to claim 40, wherein said amplification means comprises at least one channel amplification means.

44. An amplifier according to claim 1, wherein said amplification means comprises two, five, six, seven or eight channel amplification means.

45. An amplifier according to claim 1, wherein said amplification means delivers one output signal, two output signals, five output signals, six output signals, or eight output signals via said output.

46. An amplifier according to claim 43, wherein said compensation signal is fed to at least one of said at least one channel amplification means by multiplication with the corresponding said at least one input signal.

47. An amplifier according to claim 4, wherein said extrapolation means comprises distributed extrapolation means.

48. An amplifier according to claim 4, wherein said amplification means comprises at least one channel amplification means and said extrapolation means comprises distributed extrapolation means, wherein said compensation signal is fed to at least one of said at least one channel amplification means by extrapolation by the corresponding said distributed extrapolation means and said multiplication with the corresponding said at least one input signal.

49. Method for compensating errors of a power signal comprising a power supply voltage, comprising

performing multiplicatively power supply voltage dependent signal processing on an input utility signal by means of amplification means,

establishing a compensation signal comprising a representation of the ratio between a desired voltage and said power supply voltage, and

applying said compensation signal to said input utility signal by means of multiplication.

50. Method for compensating errors of a power signal according to claim 49, whereby said establishment of a compensation signal comprises

establishing a forward path fed by a reference signal,

establishing a negative feedback path from the output of said forward path, and

scaling the signal of said feedback path proportionally with a representation of said power supply voltage.

51. Method for compensating errors of a power signal according to claim 49, whereby said establishment of the compensation signal comprises

providing an electrical signal,

providing at least one feedback loop comprising

at least one forward path comprising at least one non-linearity and

at least one feedback path comprising at least one variable amplifier, and

feeding to at least one of said at least one variable amplifier said electrical signal.

52. Method for compensating errors of a power signal according to claim 51, whereby at least one of said at least one forward path is fed with at least one reference signal.

53. Method for compensating errors of a power signal according to claim 51, whereby at least one of said at least one feedback loop comprises at least one quantization means.

54. Method for compensating errors of a power signal according to claim 51, whereby at least one of said at least one feedback loop comprises at least one digital-to-analog conversion means.

55. Method for compensating errors of a power signal according to claim 53, whereby quantization noise introduced by at least one of said at least one quantization means is shaped by at least one loop filter.

56. Method for compensating errors of a power signal according to claim 52, whereby said reference signal is an oscillating voltage signal.

57. Method for compensating errors of a power signal according to claim 51, whereby said non-linearity is a limiter.

58. Method for compensating errors of a power signal according to claim 51, whereby said non-linearity is a comparator.