Power amplifier linearization using cancellation-based feed forward methods and systems

• US 8,358,170 B2
• Filed: 03/18/2011
• Issued: 01/22/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intersil Americas LLC (Renesas Electronics Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Intersil Americas LLC (Renesas Electronics Corporation)
• Inventors: Chen, Wei, Hahn, Wilhelm Steffen
• Primary Examiner(s): Mottola, Steven J
• Application Number:
  US13/051,469
• Publication Number:
  US 20110234315A1
• Time in Patent Office: 676 Days
• Field of Search: 330/149, 330/151
• US Class Current: 330/151
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/3223 using feed-forward H03F1/3211 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/3229 using a loop for error extraction and another loop for error subtraction
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/3241 using predistortion circuits H03F1/3211, H03F1/3217 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/105 A non-specified detector of the power of a signal being used in an amplifying circuit
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/204 A hybrid coupler being used at the output of an amplifier circuit
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/336 A I/Q, i.e. phase quadrature, modulator or demodulator being used in an amplifying circuit
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/411 the output amplifying stage of an amplifier comprising two power stages
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/435 A peak detection being used in a signal measuring circuit in a controlling circuit of an amplifier
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/451 the amplifier being a radio frequency amplifier
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/195 in integrated circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/24 of transmitter output stages

Abstract

Linearizers can improve the linearity of power amplifiers by canceling or reducing amplitude of non-linearity components, (e.g., IM3, IM5, IM7, IM9, etc.) generated by the power amplifier. The linearizers can obtain samples of signals output by the power amplifier and process the samples to produce a canceling signal that is applied onto or into an output of the power amplifier. The canceling signal is generated such that when applied to the output of the power amplifier, the canceling signal cancels or reduces at least a portion of the non-linearity components produced by the power amplifier. A controller can improve the correction of the non-linearity components by executing one or more tuning algorithms and adjusting settings of the linearizer based on the results of the algorithm(s).

Claims

1. A system for improving linearity of a power amplifier, comprising:

a first input operable to couple to an input signal path of the power amplifier for obtaining a first sample of an input signal of the power amplifier;

a second input operable to couple to an output signal path of the power amplifier for obtaining a second sample of an output signal of the power amplifier, the second sample comprising at least one sampled non-linearity component corresponding to at least one non-linearity component of the output signal;

an output operable to couple to the output signal path of the power amplifier for applying a linearity improving signal to the output signal path downstream from the second input;

a third input operable to couple to the output signal path at a location downstream from the second input and the output for obtaining a third sample of the output signal; and

a linearizer electrically coupled to the inputs and the output and comprising;

a first signal canceller for deducting the first sample from the second sample to generate an intermediate signal comprising the at least one sampled non-linearity component;

a second signal canceller coupled to an output of the first signal canceller and operable to produce the linearity improving signal by adjusting at least one of an amplitude, a phase, and a delay of the at least one sampled non-linearity component based on a control setting, the linearity improving signal operable to reduce an intensity of the at least one non-linearity component in response to being coupled to the output signal path at the output;

a power detector for measuring an intensity level of at least one of the at least one non-linearity component of the third sample;

a control device that adjusts the control setting of the second signal canceller based on the measured intensity level; and

a second power detector for measuring an intensity of at least one spectral component of the intermediate signal, wherein the control device receives an intensity measurement from the second power detector and adjusts at least one setting of the first signal canceller based on the intensity measurement.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the control setting comprises an in-phase setting and a quadrature setting.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the linearizer further comprises an attenuator disposed between the second input and the first signal canceller.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the second sample comprises a fundamental tone component and wherein the first signal canceller reduces an intensity of the fundamental tone component in response to deducting the first sample from the second sample.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the first signal canceller adjusts at least one of an amplitude, a phase, and a delay of at least one component of the second sample prior to deducting the first sample from the second sample.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the power detector comprises:

an input for receiving a signal;

a peak detector for measuring an intensity of the signal;

a switch for selectively switching between the intermediate signal and the third sample; and

a filter disposed between the power detector input and the peak detector.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the linearizer further comprises a first frequency converting mixer disposed between the first input and the first signal canceller, a second frequency converting mixer disposed between the second input and the first signal canceller, and a third frequency converting mixer disposed between the output and the second signal canceller.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the first signal canceller and the second signal canceller are fabricated in an integrated circuit.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the first signal canceller and the second signal canceller are fabricated in an integrated circuit of the power amplifier.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the linearizer further comprises a third signal canceller that deducts the first sample from the third sample prior to passing the third sample to the second power detector.

11. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a switch comprising;

a first switch input configured to electrically couple to the output of the first signal canceller to receive a sample of the intermediate signal;

a second switch input configured to electrically couple to the third input to receive the third sample;

a switch output; and

a frequency mixer comprising;

a first input electrically coupled to the switch output;

a second input configured to electrically couple to the first input to receive the first sample; and

a mixer output electrically coupled to one or more filters, the one or more filters operable to filter a signal output by the frequency mixer and deliver the filtered signal to a peak detector of the power detector,

wherein the controller is logically coupled to the switch, the frequency mixer, the one or more filters, and the peak detector, and

wherein the controller is operable to configure each of the switch, the frequency mixer, the one or more filters, and the peak detector to selectively measure an intensity level of the at least one spectral component of one of the intermediate signal and the third sample.

12. A method for reducing non-linearity components of an output signal of a power amplifier, the method comprising:

(a) obtaining a first sample of an input signal from a location along an input path of the power amplifier;

(b) obtaining a second sample of the output signal from a first location along an output signal path of the power amplifier, the second sample comprising at least one non-linearity component imposed on the power amplifier output signal;

(c) generating a first intermediate signal by reducing a spectral component of the second sample by deducting the first sample from the second sample;

(d) producing a linearity improving signal by adjusting at least one of a phase, an amplitude, and a delay of the first intermediate signal based on a control setting, the linearity improving signal operable to reduce an amplitude of the at least one non-linearity component in response to being applied to the output signal;

(e) applying the linearity improving signal to the output signal at a second location along the output signal path;

(f) obtaining a third sample of the output signal from a third location along the output signal path downstream from the second location, the third sample comprising at least one amplitude adjusted non-linearity component corresponding to the at least one non-linearity component;

(g) determining an intensity level of the at least one amplitude adjusted non-linearity component in the third sample; and

(h) adjusting the control setting based on the intensity level,

wherein determining the intensity level of the at least one intermodulation product in the third sample comprises reducing the intensity level of at least one spectral component of the third sample by mixing down and filtering components of the third sample having a frequency at or near baseband for the power amplifier.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the control setting comprises an in-phase setting and a quadrature setting.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the at least one non-linearity component comprises an intermodulation product imposed on the output signal by the power amplifier.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising triggering execution of a computer program based on the intensity level of the at least one amplitude adjusted non-linearity component as a feedback value to determine the control setting.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the second sample comprises a fundamental tone and wherein an intensity of the fundamental tone is reduced in response to deducting the first sample from the second sample.

17. The method of claim 12, further comprising adjusting at least one of an amplitude, a phase, and a delay of the at least one component of the second sample prior to deducting the first sample from the second sample.

18. The method of claim 12, further comprising repeating (a) through (h) to improve the reduction of the intensity level of the at least one intermodulation product of the third sample.

19. The method of claim 12, further comprising converting a frequency of the first sample, the second sample, the third sample, and the linearity improving signal, with a separated local oscillator or a shared local oscillator.

20. The method of claim 12, wherein the adjusting the control setting comprises adjusting an in-phase setting and a quadrature setting of a noise canceller that produces the linearity improving signal.

21. The method of claim 12, further comprising deducting the first sample from the third sample prior to determining the intensity level of the at least one amplitude adjusted non-linearity component of the third sample.

22. The method of claim 14, wherein determining the intensity level of the at least one intermodulation product in the third sample comprises reducing the intensity level of at least one spectral component of the third sample using a channel filter.

23. A system, comprising:

a signal transmit path comprising an amplifier;

a first input configured to receive a first sample comprising an input signal to the amplifier;

a second input configured to receive a second sample comprising an output signal from the amplifier;

an output configured to feed a linearity improving signal to the amplifier output;

a third input configured to receive a third sample comprising the amplifier output from a location along an amplifier output signal path downstream from the second input and the output; and

a linearization circuit electrically coupled to the first input, the second input, the third input, and the output, the linearization circuit comprising;

a first signal canceling circuit that deducts the first sample from the second sample to produce an intermediate signal;

a second signal canceling circuit that generates the output signal by adjusting at least one of a phase, an amplitude, and a delay of the intermediate signal based on a control setting comprising an in-phase setting and a quadrature setting;

a controller operable to adjust the control setting comprising the in-phase setting and the quadrature setting based on an intensity level of at least one spectral component of the third sample; and

at least one frequency converting mixer disposed between the first input and the first signal canceling circuit, between the second input and the first signal canceling circuit, or between the output and the second canceling circuit.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the third sample comprises at least one non-linearity component imposed on the output signal by the power amplifier, and wherein the linearity improving signal is operable to reduce an intensity level of the at least one-nonlinearity component.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the at least one spectral component comprises the non-linearity component.

26. The system of claim 23, wherein the system is a cellular telephone system.

27. The system of claim 23, wherein the linearization circuit is implemented as one or more integrated circuits.