Switchable-level voltage supplies for multimode communications

• US 8,150,339 B2
• Filed: 11/05/2007
• Issued: 04/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Cassia, Marco, Hadjichristos, Aristotele
• Primary Examiner(s): Trinh, Sonny
• Application Number:
  US11/935,200
• Publication Number:
  US 20090117864A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,611 Days
• Field of Search: 455/550.1, 455/552.1, 455/553.1, 455/126, 455/127.1, 455/127.2, 455/127.3, 455/127.4, 455/115.1, 455/127.5, 455/118, 330/282, 330/285, 330/297
• 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 1/0244 Stepped control
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2203/45731 the LC comprising a transformer
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/24 of transmitter output stages
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/45475 using IC blocks as the active amplifying circuit
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/0057 using diplexing or multiplexing filters for selecting the desired band
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/0475 with means for limiting noise, interference or distortion H04B1/0483 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/406 with more than one transmission mode, e.g. analog and digital modes
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2001/045 with means for improving efficiency

Abstract

Switchable voltage level supplies for circuitry in a multi-mode communications chipset are disclosed. In an embodiment, a first voltage level is supplied to TX circuitry operating in a first mode having a first set of linearity and/or noise requirements. A second voltage level lower than the first voltage level is supplied to TX circuitry operating in a second mode having a second set of linearity and/or noise requirements looser than the first set of requirements. The first mode may be operation according to the GSM standard, and the second mode may be operation according to the W-CDMA standard.

Claims

1. An apparatus for supplying a voltage to a transmitter circuit, the circuit processing a signal for transmission over a communications channel, the transmitter circuit comprising a mixer for translating a signal to a higher frequency, the transmitter circuit further comprising an amplifier, the apparatus comprising:

a voltage generation module for generating a supply voltage for the transmitter circuit, the supply voltage being at a first level during a first phase, and a second level during a second phase, the first level being higher than the second level, the voltage generation module further generating a second supply voltage for the transmitter circuit, the second supply voltage being at a third level during the first phase, and a fourth level during the second phase.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, the voltage generation module comprising a switched-mode voltage regulator, the switched-mode voltage regulator having an adjustable switching cycle for generating a first level and a second level.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, the voltage generation module comprising at least two voltage regulators, the output of the voltage generation module being selected from the outputs of the at least two voltage regulators by a switch.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, at least one of the two voltage regulators being a buck converter.

5. The apparatus of claim 3, the first phase corresponding to a time during which the transmitter circuit operates in a first mode, and the second phase corresponding to a time during which the transmitter circuit operates in a second mode.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, the first mode being a GSM mode, and the second mode being a W-CDMA mode.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, the level of the supply voltage configured by a control signal supplied to the voltage generation module, the control signal having a first value during the GSM mode, and the control signal having a second value during the W-CDMA mode.

8. The apparatus of claim 3, the level of the supply voltage configured by a control signal supplied to the voltage generation module.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, the supply voltage being supplied to the mixer of the transmitter circuit.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, the amplifier being a variable-gain amplifier, the supply voltage being supplied to the variable-gain amplifier of the transmitter circuit.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, the mixer and variable-gain amplifier being implemented using a stacked topology.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, the amplifier being a power amplifier, the supply voltage supplied to the power amplifier.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, the transmitter circuit further comprising a digital-to-analog converter, the output of the digital-to-analog converter coupled to the input signal of the mixer, the supply voltage being supplied to the digital-to-analog-converter.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, the voltage generation module comprising a plurality of switched-mode voltage regulators, the output of the voltage generation module selected from among the outputs of the plurality of switched-mode voltage generators.

15. An apparatus for supplying a voltage to a transmitter circuit, the circuit processing a signal for transmission over a communications channel, the transmitter circuit comprising a mixer for translating a signal to a higher frequency, the transmitter circuit further comprising an amplifier, the apparatus comprising:

a voltage generation module for generating a supply voltage for the transmitter circuit, the supply voltage being at a first level during a first phase, and a second level during a second phase, the first level being higher than the second level, the supply voltage further being at a third level during a third phase.

16. An apparatus for supplying a voltage to a transmitter circuit, the circuit processing a signal for transmission over a communications channel, the transmitter circuit comprising a mixer for translating a signal to a higher frequency, the transmitter circuit further comprising an amplifier, the apparatus comprising:

a voltage generation module for generating a supply voltage for the transmitter circuit, the supply voltage being at a first level during a first phase, and a second level during a second phase, the first level being higher than the second level, the transmitter circuit coupled to a surface acoustic wave (SAW) filter during the second phase, the transmitter circuit not coupled to the SAW filter during the first phase.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, the amplifier being a variable-gain amplifier, the transmitter circuit further comprising a transformer coupling the output of the variable-gain amplifier to first and second transconductance amplifiers;

the output of the first transconductance amplifier coupled to a first inductor, the first inductor coupled to a first supply voltage; and

the output of the second transconductance amplifier coupled to a second inductor, the second inductor coupled to a second supply voltage, the output of the second transconductance amplifier further coupled to the SAW filter.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, the first supply voltage being higher than the second supply voltage, the second transconductance amplifier powered off during the first phase, and the first transconductance amplifier powered on during the second phase.

19. An apparatus for supplying a voltage to a transmitter circuit, the circuit processing a signal for transmission over a communications channel, the transmitter circuit comprising a mixer for translating a signal to a higher frequency, the transmitter circuit further comprising an amplifier, the apparatus comprising:

a voltage generation module for generating a supply voltage for the transmitter circuit, the supply voltage being at a first level during a first phase, and a second level during a second phase, the first level being higher than the second level, the amplifier being a variable-gain amplifier, the transmitter circuit further comprising a transformer coupling the output of the variable-gain amplifier to a transconductance amplifier.

20. A method for supplying a voltage to a transmitter circuit for processing a signal for transmission over a communications channel, the transmitter circuit comprising a mixer for translating a signal to a higher frequency, the transmitter circuit further comprising an amplifier, the method comprising:

generating a supply voltage for the transmitter circuit, the supply voltage being at a first level during a first phase, and a second level during a second phase, the first level being higher than the second level; and

generating a second supply voltage for the transmitter circuit, the second supply voltage being at a third level during a first phase, and a fourth level during a second phase.

21. The method of claim 20, the generating the supply voltage performed by a switched-mode voltage regulator.

22. The method of claim 21, the first phase corresponding to a time during which the transmitter circuit operates in a first mode, and the second phase corresponding to a time during which the transmitter circuit operates in a second mode.

23. The method of claim 20, further comprising coupling the signal for transmission to a SAW filter during the second phase, and not coupling the signal for transmission to the SAW filter during the first phase.