Method for controlling fast tracking power supply, fast tracking power supply, and system

• US 8,897,724 B2
• Filed: 11/27/2012
• Issued: 11/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Huawei Digital Power Technologies Company Limited (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Hou, Zhaozheng
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Simon
• Application Number:
  US13/686,676
• Publication Number:
  US 20130078939A1
• Time in Patent Office: 728 Days
• Field of Search: 455/91, 455/127.1
• US Class Current: 455/91
• CPC Class Codes: G05F 1/10 Regulating voltage or current G05F1/02 takes precedence; for electric railways B60M3/02
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/0227 using supply converters
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/025 by using a signal derived from the input signal
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/102 A non-specified detector of a signal envelope being used in an amplifying circuit
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/432 Two or more amplifiers of different type are coupled in parallel at the input or output, e.g. a class D and a linear amplifier, a class B and a class A amplifier
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/507 A switch being used for switching on or off a supply or supplying circuit in an IC-block amplifier circuit
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/511 Many discrete supply voltages or currents or voltage levels can be chosen by a control signal in an IC-block amplifier circuit
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/19 with semiconductor devices only
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/245 with semiconductor devices only
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/1607 Supply circuits converters H02M; filters therefor H02M1/14; voltage stabilisers G05F1/46

Abstract

A fast tracking power supply includes a combined controllable voltage source to control a load voltage. The combined controllable voltage source is connected to a tracking current source in parallel to provide a current for a load. The tracking current source is responsible for providing a low-frequency high current for the load to implement high-efficiency low-frequency tracking of the load current and reducing an output current of the combined controllable voltage source as much as possible. Meanwhile, a power supply voltage switching unit in the combined controllable voltage source adjusts a power supply voltage range of a linear amplifier in the combined controllable voltage source, so as to reduce the power supply voltage range of the linear amplifier, thereby reducing power consumption of the combined controllable voltage source.

Claims

1. A fast tracking power supply, comprising:

a controllable voltage source that comprises a linear amplifier and a power supply voltage switching unit;

a current detection unit; and

a tracking current source, wherein;

the linear amplifier is configured to receive a first control signal that is based on a reference signal, and to control a load voltage according to the received first control signal;

the power supply voltage switching unit is configured to receive a second control signal based on the reference signal that is different from the first control signal, and to provide one of a plurality of discrete voltages as a voltage source for the linear amplifier according to the second control signal;

the current detection unit is configured to detect an output current of the combined controllable voltage source, and to output a third control signal according to a detection result; and

the tracking current source is configured to receive the third control signal output by the current detection unit, and adjust an output current of the tracking current source according to the third control signal, so as to implement low-frequency tracking of a load current,

wherein the controllable voltage source is connected to the current detection unit in series and then connected to the tracking current source in parallel to provide a current.

2. The fast tracking power supply according to claim 1, wherein:

the power supply voltage switching unit comprises a level selection branch and at least two voltage sources with different voltage values;

the voltage source is configured to provide a voltage; and

the level selection branch is configured to receive the second control signal, and to select the voltage source according to the received second control signal, so as to provide a power supply voltage for the linear amplifier.

3. The fast tracking power supply according to claim 2, wherein the level selection branch comprises

a driving device;

a switch device; and

a diode, wherein;

the driving device is configured to receive the second control signal, select the voltage source according to the received second control signal, and to drive the switch device to perform switching;

the switch device is configured to perform the switching among the voltage sources; and

the diode is configured to provide isolation among different voltages and provide reverse prevention.

4. The fast tracking power supply according to claim 1, wherein the current detection unit is configured to:

determine an output current of the controllable voltage source

when the current detection unit determines that the output current of the combined controllable voltage source has increased, the current detection unit outputs a third control signal that controls the tracking current source to increase output current; and

when the current detection unit determines that the output current of the combined controllable voltage source has decreased, the current detection unit outputs a third control signal that controls the tracking current source to reduce output current;

wherein the tracking current source increases and reduces the tracking current source output current according to the third control signal.

5. The fast tracking power supply according to claim 1, wherein

the tracking current source is formed by a BUCK circuit, a BOOST circuit, a BUCK-BOOST circuit, or a CUK circuit.

6. The fast tracking power supply according to claim 5, wherein

the control unit is further configured to perform delay matching on the first control signal and the second control signal.

7. The fast tracking power supply according to claim 1, further comprising a control unit, wherein the control unit is configured to receive a reference signal, output a first control signal to the power supply voltage switching unit, and output a second control signal to the linear amplifier according to the reference signal.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the power supply voltage switching unit is configured to generate a second plurality of discrete voltages, wherein the first plurality of discrete voltages are applied to a positive power rail of the linear amplifier and the second plurality of discrete voltages are applied to a negative power rail of the linear amplifier.

9. A communication system, comprising:

an envelope detector;

a driving amplifier;

a radio frequency power amplifier; and

a fast tracking power supply according to claim 1, wherein;

the envelope detector is configured to detect a radio frequency signal, extract an envelope signal from the radio frequency signal, use the envelope signal as a reference signal, and to provide the reference signal to the fast tracking power supply;

the fast tracking power supply is configured to receive the envelope signal extracted by the envelope detector, and to provide a drain voltage and current for the radio frequency power amplifier according to the envelope signal, wherein the fast tracking power supply includes a switch mode power supply and a linear amplifier, wherein the switch mode power supply provides one of a plurality of discrete voltages as a voltage source for the linear amplifier;

the driving amplifier is configured to receive the radio frequency signal, and to perform driving amplification on the radio frequency signal; and

the radio frequency power amplifier is configured to receive the radio frequency signal that has undergone the driving amplification performed by the driving amplifier and amplify the radio frequency signal.

10. The communication system according to claim 9, further comprising a transmission processing unit, wherein

the transmission processing unit is configured to process the radio frequency signal that has undergone the amplification performed by the radio frequency power amplifier.

11. The communication system according to claim 9, wherein:

the power supply voltage switching unit comprises a level selection branch and at least two voltage sources with different voltage values;

the voltage source is configured to provide a voltage; and

the level selection branch is configured to receive the second control signal, and to select the voltage source according to the received second control signal, so as to provide a power supply voltage for the linear amplifier.

12. The communication system according to claim 11, wherein:

the level selection branch comprises a driving device, a switch device and a diode;

the driving device is configured to receive the second control signal, select the voltage source according to the received second control signal, and to drive the switch device to perform switching;

the switch device is configured to perform the switching among the voltage sources; and

the diode is configured to provide isolation among different voltages and provide reverse prevention.

13. The communication system according to claim 9, wherein

the current detection unit is configured to detect an output current of the combined controllable voltage source and to control the tracking current source via a third control signal,

when the current detection unit determines that the output current of the combined controllable voltage source has increased, the third control signal of the current detection unit controls the tracking current source to increase output current;

when the current detection unit determines that the output current of the combined controllable voltage source has decreased, the third control signal of the current detection unit controls the tracking current source to decrease output current; and

the tracking current source is configured to increase and decrease the output according to the third control signal.

14. The communication system according to claim 9, wherein

the tracking current source is formed by a BUCK circuit, a BOOST circuit, a BUCK-BOOST circuit, or a CUK circuit.

15. The communication system according to claim 9, wherein

the control unit is further configured to perform delay matching on the first control signal and the second control signal.

16. The communication system according to claim 14, further comprising a control unit, wherein the control unit is configured to receive a reference signal, output a first control signal to the power supply voltage switching unit and output a second control signal to the linear amplifier according to the reference signal.

17. A method for controlling a fast tracking power supply, comprising:

receiving a first control signal extracted from a reference signal;

providing one of a plurality of discrete voltages as a voltage source for a linear amplifier in a combined controllable voltage source according to the second control signal;

receiving a second control signal extracted from the reference signal, wherein the second control signal is different from the first control signal;

providing a voltage for a load according to the received second control signal under the effect of the voltage combinations;

detecting an output current of the combined controllable voltage source;

outputting a third control signal according to detection conditions; and

adjusting an output current of a tracking current source according to the third control signal, so as to implement low-frequency tracking of a load current.

18. The method for controlling the fast tracking power supply according to claim 17, wherein

detection of the output current of the combined controllable voltage source and outputting of the third control signal according to the detection conditions comprises:

detecting an output current of the combined controllable voltage source;

when determining that the output current of the combined controllable voltage source has increased, controlling, via a third control signal, the tracking current source to increase output current; and

when determining that the output current of the combined controllable voltage source has decreased, controlling, via the third control signal the tracking current source to reduce output current; and

adjusting, by tracking current source, the output current according to the third control signal.

19. The method for controlling the fast tracking power supply according to claim 17, further comprising:

receiving the reference signal; and

outputting the first control signal and the second control signal according to the reference signal.

20. The method for controlling the fast tracking power supply according to claim 17, further comprising:

performing delay matching on the first control signal and the second control signal.