Digital Predistortion for nonlinear RF power amplifiers

• US 9,002,302 B1
• Filed: 07/29/2013
• Issued: 04/07/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NXP USA, Inc. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Original Assignee: Marvell International Limited (Marvell Technology Group Limited)
• Inventors: Qian, Hua, Wu, Songping, Yu, Daxiao
• Primary Examiner(s): Vuong, Quochien B
• Application Number:
  US13/953,060
• Time in Patent Office: 617 Days
• Field of Search: 455/63.1, 455/67.11, 455/67.13, 455/69, 455/114.3, 455/115.1, 375/296, 375/297, 330/127, 330/136, 330/149
• US Class Current: 455/114.3
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/3241 using predistortion circuits H03F1/3211, H03F1/3217 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/0475 with means for limiting noise, interference or distortion H04B1/0483 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2001/0425 with linearisation using predistortion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0035 evaluation of received explicit signalling

Abstract

Systems and techniques relating to wireless communications are described. A described technique includes operating a device, that includes a receive filter, in different modes comprising an operational mode and a predistortion training mode, where the receive filter is configured to operate at a first bandwidth during the operational mode and operate at a second, wider bandwidth during the predistortion training mode; generating a digital transmit signal; receiving a digital receive signal via the receive filter, causing, in the predistortion training mode, the digital receive signal to be based on an amplified analog version of the digital transmit signal, the amplified analog version being produced by a power amplifier having a nonlinear characteristic(s); estimating predistortion parameter value(s) using samples of the digital transmit signal and samples of the digital receive signal; and using the predistortion parameter value(s) to predistort digital signals to compensate for the nonlinear characteristic(s) of the power amplifier.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

processor electronics configured to produce a digital transmit signal;

a first convertor to convert the digital transmit signal to an analog transmit signal;

a power amplifier to amplify the analog transmit signal to produce an amplified analog transmit signal, wherein the power amplifier has one or more nonlinear characteristics;

receiver circuitry to receive an analog receive signal in different modes comprising an operational mode and a predistortion training mode, the receiver circuitry being configured to receive the amplified analog transmit signal as the analog receive signal in the predistortion training mode;

a second convertor to convert the analog receive signal to a digital receive signal; and

a receive filter coupled between the receiver circuitry and the second convertor, wherein the receive filter is configured to operate at a first bandwidth during the operational mode and operate at a second bandwidth during the predistortion training mode, and the second bandwidth being wider than the first bandwidth,

wherein the processor electronics are configured to (i) operate the system in the predistortion training mode to gather information to estimate one or more predistortion parameter values, and (ii) use the one or more predistortion parameter values to predistort digital signals to compensate for the one or more nonlinear characteristics of the power amplifier when operating in the operational mode, wherein the information comprises transmit samples that are based on the digital transmit signal and receive samples that are based on the digital receive signal.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor electronics are configured to estimate updated versions of the one or more predistortion parameter values based on a power change of the digital transmit signal.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor electronics are configured to perform operations comprising:

determining a synchronization offset value to align the transmit samples with the receive samples;

determining one or more power normalization parameter values to normalize a power of the digital receive signal with respect to the digital transmit signal; and

estimating the one or more predistortion parameter values using information comprising the transmit samples, the receive samples, the synchronization offset value, and the one or more power normalization parameter values.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein estimating the one or more predistortion parameter values comprises using a polynomial based nonlinear predistortion model that is linear to the one or more predistortion parameter values, and wherein the transmit samples, the receive samples, and the one or more predistortion parameter values are represented by complex numbers.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein estimating the one or more predistortion parameter values comprises using a recursive estimation technique to iteratively produce updated versions of the one or more predistortion parameter values.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a transmit filter coupled between the first convertor and the power amplifier, wherein a bandwidth of the transmit filter is at least twice that of the digital transmit signal.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the second bandwidth of the receive filter is at least wide enough to pass through signals distorted by the one or more nonlinear characteristics of the power amplifier.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the receiver circuitry comprises an attenuator to attenuate the analog receive signal when the system is operating in the predistortion training mode.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the receiver circuitry comprises an automatic gain controller to compensate for one or more nonlinear characteristics of the receiver circuitry.

10. A method, comprising:

operating a device, that includes a receive filter, in different modes comprising an operational mode and a predistortion training mode, wherein the receive filter is configured to operate at a first bandwidth during the operational mode and operate at a second bandwidth during the predistortion training mode, the second bandwidth being wider than the first bandwidth;

generating a digital transmit signal;

receiving a digital receive signal via circuitry that comprises the receive filter;

causing, in the predistortion training mode, the digital receive signal to be based on an amplified analog version of the digital transmit signal, wherein the amplified analog version is produced by a power amplifier having one or more nonlinear characteristics;

storing signal samples responsive to the device being in the predistortion training mode, the signal samples including transmit samples based on the digital transmit signal and receive samples based on the digital receive signal;

estimating one or more predistortion parameter values using information comprising the transmit samples and the receive samples; and

using the one or more predistortion parameter values to predistort digital signals to compensate for the one or more nonlinear characteristics of the power amplifier.

11. The method of claim 10, comprising:

estimating updated versions of the one or more predistortion parameter values based on a power change of the digital transmit signal.

12. The method of claim 10, comprising:

determining a synchronization offset value to align the transmit samples with the receive samples; and

determining one or more power normalization parameter values to normalize a power of the digital receive signal with respect to the digital transmit signal,

wherein estimating the one or more predistortion parameter values comprises using the synchronization offset value and the one or more power normalization parameter values.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein estimating the one or more predistortion parameter values comprises using a polynomial based nonlinear predistortion model that is linear to the one or more predistortion parameter values, and wherein the one or more predistortion parameter values are represented by complex numbers.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein estimating the one or more predistortion parameter values comprises using a recursive estimation technique to iteratively produce updated versions of the one or more predistortion parameter values.

15. The method of claim 10, comprising:

controlling an attenuator to attenuate the amplified analog version when the device is operating in the predistortion training mode.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable medium embodying a program operable to cause a device to perform operations, the operations comprising:

causing the device, that comprises a receive filter, to operate in different modes comprising an operational mode and a predistortion training mode, wherein the receive filter is configured to operate at a first bandwidth during the operational mode and operate at a second bandwidth during the predistortion training mode, the second bandwidth being wider than the first bandwidth;

generating a digital transmit signal;

receiving a digital receive signal via circuitry that comprises the receive filter;

causing, in the predistortion training mode, the digital receive signal to be based on an amplified analog version of the digital transmit signal, wherein the amplified analog version is produced by a power amplifier having one or more nonlinear characteristics;

storing signal samples responsive to the device being in the predistortion training mode, the signal samples including transmit samples based on the digital transmit signal and receive samples based on the digital receive signal;

estimating one or more predistortion parameter values using information comprising the transmit samples and the receive samples; and

using the one or more predistortion parameter values to predistort digital signals to compensate for the one or more nonlinear characteristics of the power amplifier.

17. The medium of claim 16, the operations comprising:

estimating updated versions of the one or more predistortion parameter values based on a power change of the digital transmit signal.

18. The medium of claim 16, the operations comprising:

determining a synchronization offset value to align the transmit samples with the receive samples; and

determining one or more power normalization parameter values to normalize a power of the digital receive signal with respect to the digital transmit signal,

wherein estimating the one or more predistortion parameter values comprises using the synchronization offset value and the one or more power normalization parameter values.

19. The medium of claim 16, wherein estimating the one or more predistortion parameter values comprises using a polynomial based nonlinear predistortion model that is linear to the one or more predistortion parameter values, and wherein the one or more predistortion parameter values are represented by complex numbers.

20. The medium of claim 16, wherein estimating the one or more predistortion parameter values comprises using a recursive estimation technique to iteratively produce updated versions of the one or more predistortion parameter values.