Decoupling circuits for filtering a voltage supply of multiple power amplifiers

• US 8,773,200 B2
• Filed: 11/11/2012
• Issued: 07/08/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/08/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: R2 Semiconductor, Inc.
• Original Assignee: R2 Semiconductor, Inc.
• Inventors: Severson, Cory, Ramachandran, Ravi, Fisher, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Mottola, Steven J
• Application Number:
  US13/674,042
• Publication Number:
  US 20140009226A1
• Time in Patent Office: 604 Days
• Field of Search: 330/127, 330/199, 330/297
• US Class Current: 330/127
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/025 by using a signal derived from the input signal
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/24 of transmitter output stages
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/68 Combinations of amplifiers, e.g. multi-channel amplifiers for stereophonics power amplifiers using a combination of several semiconductor amplifiers H03F3/211; combinations of amplifiers using coupling networks with distributed constants H03F3/602
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 1/04 Modifications of control circuit to reduce distortion caused by control modifications to reduce influence of variations of internal impedance of amplifying elements caused by control H03F1/08

Abstract

Embodiments for at least one method and apparatus of a voltage supply are disclosed. One voltage supply apparatus includes a voltage supply, a plurality of power amplifier (PA) decoupling circuits, and a plurality of power amplifiers. Each PA decoupling circuit is connected to the voltage supply and provides a filtered voltage supply to a corresponding one of the plurality power amplifiers. Each PA decoupling circuit configured to suppress noise of the provided filtered voltage supply below a threshold at one or more selected frequencies, wherein the suppression is provided by the PA decoupling circuit operating in conjunction with at least one other of the plurality of PA decoupling circuits.

Claims

1. A voltage supply apparatus, comprising:

a voltage supply; and

a plurality of power amplifier (PA) decoupling circuits, each PA decoupling circuit connected to the voltage supply and providing a filtered voltage supply to a corresponding one of a plurality power amplifiers, each PA decoupling circuit configured to suppress noise of the provided filtered voltage supply below a threshold at one or more selected frequencies, wherein the suppression is provided by the PA decoupling circuit operating in conjunction with at least one other of the plurality of PA decoupling circuits;

wherein

each PA decoupling circuit is operative to resonate at one or more predefined critical frequencies of at least one of the plurality of power amplifiers that do not correspond with the PA decoupling circuit;

wherein

the one or more selected frequencies include a band of frequencies centered on a duplex frequency of the different one of the plurality of power amplifiers than a power amplifier that correspond with the PA decoupling circuit, where a width of the band of frequencies corresponds to a bandwidth resulting from modulation of the carrier transmitted by the different one of the plurality of power amplifiers.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the voltage supply is operable to support envelope tracking operation of one or more of the plurality of power amplifiers, wherein a voltage potential of the voltage supply is variable based on an instantaneous amplitude of an RF signal of the one or more of the plurality of power amplifiers.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each PA decoupling circuit comprises a real impedance that is below a threshold at one or more of the predefined critical frequencies, wherein the threshold is less than an impedance of another one of the plurality of PA decoupling circuits that corresponds with an active power amplifier.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more selected frequencies changes over time as a different one of the plurality of power amplifiers is selected for transmission.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein only one of the plurality of power amplifiers is active at a time.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the one or more selected frequencies include one or more duplex frequencies of a transmit channel of the one of the plurality of power amplifiers that is active.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the voltage supply comprises a switching voltage regulator.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the one or more selected frequencies comprises a fundamental frequency or a harmonic frequency of a switching frequency of the switching voltage regulator.

9. A voltage supply apparatus, comprising:

a voltage supply; and

a plurality of power amplifier (PA) decoupling circuits, each PA decoupling circuit connected to the voltage supply and providing a filtered voltage supply to a corresponding one of a plurality power amplifiers, each PA decoupling circuit configured to suppress noise of the provided filtered voltage supply below a threshold at one or more selected frequencies, wherein the suppression is provided by the PA decoupling circuit operating in conjunction with at least one other of the plurality of PA decoupling circuits;

wherein

each PA decoupling circuit is operative to resonate at one or more predefined critical frequencies of at least one of the plurality of power amplifiers that do not correspond with the PA decoupling circuit;

wherein

each of the PA decoupling circuits comprises a decoupling capacitor, and wherein a sum of the decoupling capacitors resonates with a series inductance, wherein a frequency of the resonance is below a second frequency, wherein the second frequency is set based on a duplex frequency minus a bandwidth of a transmission signal passing through at least one of the one of the plurality power amplifiers, and wherein the series inductance is at an output of the voltage supply.

10. A method of providing a plurality of filtered regulated voltages to plurality of power amplifiers, comprising:

generating a regulated voltage;

generating, by a plurality of decoupling circuits, the plurality of filtered regulated voltages, wherein each decoupling circuit provides a filtered regulated voltage to a corresponding one of plurality power amplifiers, each decoupling circuit configured to suppress noise of the provided filtered regulated voltage below a threshold at one or more selected frequencies, wherein the suppression is provided by the decoupling circuit operating in conjunction with at least one other of the plurality of decoupling circuits;

wherein

each decoupling circuit is operative to resonate at one or more predefined critical frequencies of at least one of the plurality of power amplifiers that do not correspond with the decoupling circuit; and

wherein

the one or more selected frequencies include a band of frequencies centered on a duplex frequency of the different one of the plurality of power amplifiers than a power amplifier that correspond with the PA decoupling circuit, where a width of the band of frequencies corresponds to a bandwidth resulting from modulation of the carrier transmitted by the different one of the plurality of power amplifiers.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein regulated voltage is operable to support envelope tracking operation of one or more of the plurality of power amplifiers.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein each decoupling circuit comprises a real impedance that is below a threshold at one or more of the predefined critical frequencies, wherein the threshold is less than an impedance of another one of the plurality of decoupling circuits that corresponds with an active power amplifier.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the one or more selected frequencies changes over time as a different one of the plurality of power amplifiers is selected for transmission.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein only one of the plurality of power amplifiers is active at a time.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the one or more selected frequencies include one or more duplex frequencies of a transmit channel of the one of the plurality of power amplifiers that is active.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the voltage supply comprises a switching voltage regulator.

17. A mobile device, comprising:

a plurality of power amplifiers;

a voltage regulator;

a plurality of power amplifier (PA) decoupling circuits, each PA decoupling circuit connected to the voltage regulator and providing a filtered voltage supply to a corresponding one of the plurality power amplifiers, each PA decoupling circuit configured to suppress noise of provided filtered voltage supply below a threshold at one or more selected frequencies, wherein the suppression is provided by the PA decoupling circuit operating in conjunction with at least one other of the plurality of PA decoupling circuits;

wherein

each PA decoupling circuit is operative to resonate at one or more predefined critical frequencies of at least one of the plurality of power amplifiers that do not correspond with the PA decoupling circuit;

wherein

the one or more selected frequencies include a band of frequencies centered on a duplex frequency of the different one of the plurality of power amplifiers than a power amplifier that correspond with the PA decoupling circuit, where a width of the band of frequencies corresponds to a bandwidth resulting from modulation of the carrier transmitted by the different one of the plurality of power amplifiers.

18. The mobile device of claim 17, wherein the voltage regulator is operable to support envelope tracking operation of one or more of the plurality of power amplifiers, wherein a voltage potential of the voltage regulator is variable based on an instantaneous amplitude of an RF signal of the one or more of the plurality of power amplifiers.