Electronic devices with calibrated radio frequency communications circuitry

• US 8,331,883 B2
• Filed: 10/30/2008
• Issued: 12/11/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Sorensen, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Donovan, Lincoln
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHENG, DIANA
• Application Number:
  US12/262,121
• Publication Number:
  US 20100112967A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,503 Days
• Field of Search: 455/522, 455/572, 455/573, 4551271-1275
• US Class Current: 455/127.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/1607 Supply circuits converters H02M; filters therefor H02M1/14; voltage stabilisers G05F1/46

Abstract

Circuitry for portable electronic devices is provided. The circuitry may include wireless communications circuitry and storage and processing circuitry. The wireless communications circuitry may include an antenna and a radio-frequency power amplifier with an adjustable gain mode. The radio-frequency power amplifier may amplify radio-frequency signals to a given output power. The circuitry may include an adjustable power supply circuit that supplies an adjustable power supply voltage to the power amplifier circuitry. The circuitry may also include a transceiver that produce radio-frequency signals at a specified input power to the power amplifier circuitry. The storage and processing circuitry may be used in storing calibration data. The calibration data may specify adjustments to be made to the input power to the radio-frequency power amplifier, the gain mode setting of the power amplifier, and the power supply voltage for the power amplifier to optimize performance while minimizing power consumption.

Claims

1. Circuitry on a portable electronic device, comprising:

a radio-frequency power amplifier that amplifies radio-frequency signals at a given operating frequency that are wirelessly transmitted from the portable electronic device;

adjustable power supply circuitry that supplies an adjustable power supply voltage to the radio-frequency power amplifier; and

storage and processing circuitry that adjusts the adjustable power supply voltage supplied by the adjustable power supply circuitry to the radio-frequency power amplifier based at least partly on the given operating frequency, wherein the amplified radio-frequency signals are output from the radio-frequency power amplifier at an output power in a communications band subject to adjacent channel leakage ratio requirements and wherein the storage and processing circuitry is configured to store calibration data specifying adjustments that are made to the adjustable power supply voltage as a function of the given operating frequency to minimize the adjustable power supply voltage to conserve power while ensuring that the adjustable power supply voltage has a value equal to or greater than a value such that the amplified radio-frequency signals satisfy the adjacent channel leakage requirements.

2. The circuitry defined in claim 1 wherein the storage and processing circuitry is configured to store calibration data specifying adjustments that are made to the adjustable power supply voltage using the adjustable power supply circuitry as a function of the given operating frequency and as a function of the output power.

3. The circuitry defined in claim 2 further comprising transceiver circuitry that supplies the radio-frequency signals to an input of the radio-frequency power amplifier at a given input power, wherein the storage and processing circuitry is configured to store calibration data specifying how the given input power is adjusted by the transceiver circuitry as a function of the given operating frequency.

4. The circuitry defined in claim 3 wherein the radio-frequency power amplifier has an associated gain provided by multiple gain stages and wherein the storage and processing circuitry is configured to store calibration data specifying how the gain is adjusted by selectively enabling the gain stages as a function of desired values of the output power.

5. The circuitry defined in claim 2 wherein the radio-frequency power amplifier has an associated gain provided by multiple gain stages and wherein the storage and processing circuitry is configured to store calibration data specifying how the gain is adjusted by selectively enabling the gain stages as a function of desired values of the output power.

6. The circuitry defined in claim 1 further comprising transceiver circuitry that supplies the radio-frequency signals to an input of the radio-frequency power amplifier at a given input power, wherein the storage and processing circuitry is configured to store calibration data specifying how the given input power is to be adjusted by the transceiver circuitry as a function of the given operating frequency.

7. A method for operating a wireless electronic device having at least one antenna, a radio-frequency power amplifier, and an adjustable power supply that supplies the radio-frequency power amplifier with an adjustable power supply voltage, wherein the amplified radio-frequency signals are output from the radio-frequency power amplifier at an output power in a communications band subject to adjacent channel leakage ratio requirements, the method comprising:

with the radio-frequency power amplifier, amplifying radio-frequency signals at a given frequency to be transmitted through the antenna; and

with the adjustable power supply, providing an adjustable power supply voltage to the radio-frequency power amplifier that varies as a function of the given frequency to minimize the adjustable power supply voltage to conserve power while ensuring that the adjustable power supply voltage has a value equal to or greater than a value such that the amplified radio-frequency signals satisfy the adjacent channel leakage requirements; and

with storage and processing circuitry, storing calibration data specifying adjustments that are made to the adjustable power supply voltage as a function of the given frequency to minimize the adjustable power supply voltage to conserve power while ensuring that the adjustable power supply voltage has a value equal to or greater than a value such that the amplified radio-frequency signals satisfy the adjacent channel leakage requirements.

8. The method defined in claim 7 wherein the wireless electronic device further comprises transceiver circuitry that supplies the radio-frequency power amplifier with the radio-frequency signals at a given input power, the method further comprising:

adjusting the given input power with the transceiver circuitry based on frequency-dependent calibration data.

9. The method defined in claim 7 wherein the radio-frequency power amplifier has a gain level established by gain stages in the radio-frequency power amplifier, the method further comprises:

selectively enabling the gain stages to adjust the gain level based at least partly on a desired output power for the amplified radio-frequency signals.

10. The method defined in claim 7 further comprising:

with the adjustable power supply, providing the adjustable power supply voltage to the radio-frequency power amplifier based at least partly on a desired output power for the amplified radio-frequency signals.

11. The method defined in claim 10 wherein the wireless electronic device further comprises transceiver circuitry that supplies the radio-frequency power amplifier with the radio-frequency signals at a given input power, the method further comprising:

adjusting the given input power with the transceiver circuitry based on frequency-dependent calibration data.

12. The method defined in claim 10 wherein the radio-frequency power amplifier has a gain level established by gain stages in the radio-frequency power amplifier, the method further comprises:

selectively enabling the gain stages to adjust the gain level based at least partly on the desired output power for the amplified radio-frequency signals.

13. A portable electronic device, comprising:

an antenna;

a radio-frequency power amplifier that amplifies radio-frequency signals at a given operating frequency that are transmitted from the portable electronic device through the antenna;

adjustable power supply circuitry that supplies an adjustable power supply voltage to the radio-frequency power amplifier; and

storage and processing circuitry that adjusts the adjustable power supply voltage supplied by the adjustable power supply circuitry to the radio-frequency power amplifier as a function of the given operating frequency, wherein the amplified radio-frequency signals are output from the radio-frequency power amplifier at an output power in a communications band subject to adjacent channel leakage ratio requirements and wherein the storage and processing circuitry is configured to store calibration data specifying adjustments that are made to the adjustable power supply voltage as a function of the given operating frequency to minimize the adjustable power supply voltage to conserve power while ensuring that the adjustable power supply voltage has a value equal to or greater than a value such that the amplified radio-frequency signals satisfy the adjacent channel leakage requirements.

14. The portable electronic device defined in claim 13 wherein the storage and processing circuitry is configured to store calibration data specifying adjustments that are made to the adjustable power supply voltage as a function of the given operating frequency and as a function of the output power.

15. The portable electronic device defined in claim 14 further comprising:

transceiver circuitry that supplies the radio-frequency signals to an input of the radio-frequency power amplifier at a given input power, wherein the storage and processing circuitry is configured to store calibration data specifying how the given input power is to be adjusted by the transceiver circuitry as a function of the given operating frequency to produce a desired output power from the radio-frequency power amplifier for all frequencies in a given communications band.

16. The portable electronic device defined in claim 13 further comprising:

transceiver circuitry that supplies the radio-frequency signals to an input of the radio-frequency power amplifier at a given input power, wherein the storage and processing circuitry is configured to store calibration data specifying how the given input power is to be adjusted by the transceiver circuitry as a function of the given operating frequency.

17. The portable electronic device defined in claim 16 wherein the storage and processing circuitry is configured to store calibration data specifying adjustments that are made to the adjustable power supply voltage as a function of the given operating frequency and as a function of the output power.

18. The portable electronic device defined in claim 13 further comprising transceiver circuitry that supplies the radio-frequency signals to an input of the radio-frequency power amplifier at a given input power, wherein the storage and processing circuitry is configured to:

store calibration data specifying how the given input power is to be adjusted by the transceiver circuitry as a function of the given operating frequency; and

store calibration data specifying gain mode adjustments and adjustments to the power supply voltage for the power amplifier to conserve power based on required output power levels from the power amplifier circuitry.