Envelope tracking power supply voltage dynamic range reduction

• US 9,197,162 B2
• Filed: 03/14/2014
• Issued: 11/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qorvo US, Inc. (Qorvo, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: RF Micro Devices Incorporated (Qorvo, Inc.)
• Inventors: Chiron, Jean-Frederic, Khlat, Nadim
• Primary Examiner(s): Vuong, Quochien B
• Application Number:
  US14/212,199
• Publication Number:
  US 20140266428A1
• Time in Patent Office: 620 Days
• Field of Search: 455/115.1, 455/127.1, 455/127.2, 330/127, 330/129, 330/285, 330/296, 330/297
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/02 Modifications of amplifiers to raise the efficiency, e.g. gliding Class A stages, use of an auxiliary oscillation
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/0222 by using a signal derived from the input signal
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/189 High-frequency amplifiers, e.g. radio frequency amplifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/20 Power amplifiers, e.g. Class B amplifiers, Class C amplifiers H03F3/26 - H03F3/30 take precedence

Abstract

A radio frequency (RF) system includes an RF power amplifier (PA), which uses an envelope tracking power supply voltage to provide an RF transmit signal, which has an RF envelope; and further includes an envelope tracking power supply, which provides the envelope tracking power supply voltage based on a setpoint. RF transceiver circuitry, which includes envelope control circuitry and an RF modulator is disclosed. The envelope control circuitry provides the setpoint, such that the envelope tracking power supply voltage is clipped to form clipped regions and substantially tracks the RF envelope between the clipped regions, wherein a dynamic range of the envelope tracking power supply voltage is limited. The RF modulator provides an RF input signal to the RF PA, which receives and amplifies the RF input signal to provide the RF transmit signal.

Claims

1. In a radio frequency (RF) system that includes an RF power amplifier (PA) configured to use an envelope tracking power supply voltage to provide an RF transmit signal, which has an RF envelope;

and further includes an envelope tracking power supply configured to provide the envelope tracking power supply voltage based on a setpoint;

RF transceiver circuitry comprising;

envelope control circuitry configured to provide the setpoint, such that the envelope tracking power supply voltage is clipped to form clipped regions and substantially tracks the RF envelope between the clipped regions, wherein a dynamic range of the envelope tracking power supply voltage is limited; and

an RF modulator configured to provide an RF input signal to the RF PA, which receives and amplifies the RF input signal to provide the RF transmit signal.

2. The RF transceiver circuitry of claim 1 wherein the RF transceiver circuitry comprises look-up table-based constrained setpoint data, such that the setpoint is based on the look-up table-based constrained setpoint data.

3. The RF transceiver circuitry of claim 1 wherein the RF transceiver circuitry is further configured to provide the envelope power supply control signal to the envelope tracking power supply via a digital communications bus and a digital communications interface.

4. The RF transceiver circuitry of claim 1 wherein the setpoint is based on a high side constraint of the envelope tracking power supply voltage, which has a dynamic range that is limited to a high side constrained dynamic range, such that the clipped regions correspond to peaks in the RF envelope.

5. The RF transceiver circuitry of claim 4 wherein when transitioning between an unconstrained operating region of the envelope tracking power supply voltage and a high side constrained operating region of the envelope tracking power supply voltage, the envelope tracking power supply voltage is hard clipped in the high side constrained operating region.

6. The RF transceiver circuitry of claim 4 wherein when transitioning between an unconstrained operating region of the envelope tracking power supply voltage and a high side constrained operating region of the envelope tracking power supply voltage, the envelope tracking power supply voltage is smoothly clipped between the unconstrained operating region and the high side constrained operating region.

7. The RF transceiver circuitry of claim 6 wherein the envelope tracking power supply voltage is based on a 3^RD order polynomial between the unconstrained operating region and the high side constrained operating region.

8. The RF transceiver circuitry of claim 6 wherein the envelope tracking power supply voltage is based on a piecewise spline function between the unconstrained operating region and the high side constrained operating region.

9. The RF transceiver circuitry of claim 1 wherein the setpoint is based on a low side constraint of the envelope tracking power supply voltage, which has a dynamic range that is limited to a low side constrained dynamic range, such that the clipped regions correspond to valleys in the RF envelope.

10. The RF transceiver circuitry of claim 9 wherein when transitioning between an unconstrained operating region of the envelope tracking power supply voltage and a low side constrained operating region of the envelope tracking power supply voltage, the envelope tracking power supply voltage is hard clipped in the low side constrained operating region.

11. The RF transceiver circuitry of claim 9 wherein when transitioning between an unconstrained operating region of the envelope tracking power supply voltage and a low side constrained operating region of the envelope tracking power supply voltage, the envelope tracking power supply voltage is smoothly clipped between the unconstrained operating region and the low side constrained operating region.

12. The RF transceiver circuitry of claim 11 wherein the envelope tracking power supply voltage is based on a 3^RD order polynomial between the unconstrained operating region and the low side constrained operating region.

13. The RF transceiver circuitry of claim 11 wherein the envelope tracking power supply voltage is based on a piecewise spline function between the unconstrained operating region and the low side constrained operating region.

14. The RF transceiver circuitry of claim 9 wherein when the setpoint is based on the low side constraint of the envelope tracking power supply voltage, the RF PA is further configured to operate in a low side constrained PA bias condition.

15. The RF transceiver circuitry of claim 1 wherein the setpoint is based on a high side constraint of the envelope tracking power supply voltage and a low side constraint of the envelope tracking power supply voltage, which has a dynamic range that is limited to a both sides constrained dynamic range, such that the clipped regions correspond to both peaks and valleys in the RF envelope.

16. Circuitry comprising:

transmitter control circuitry configured to provide a setpoint, such that an envelope tracking power supply voltage is clipped to form clipped regions and substantially tracks an RF envelope between the clipped regions, wherein a dynamic range of the envelope tracking power supply voltage is limited;

a radio frequency (RF) power amplifier (PA) configured to receive and amplify an RF input signal to provide an RF transmit signal, which has the RF envelope, using the envelope tracking power supply voltage; and

an envelope tracking power supply configured to provide the envelope tracking power supply voltage based on the setpoint.

17. The circuitry of claim 16 wherein the transmitter control circuitry comprises look-up table-based constrained setpoint data, such that the setpoint is based on the look-up table-based constrained setpoint data.

18. The circuitry of claim 16 wherein the setpoint is based on a high side constraint of the envelope tracking power supply voltage, which has a dynamic range that is limited to a high side constrained dynamic range, such that the clipped regions correspond to peaks in the RF envelope.

19. The circuitry of claim 18 wherein when transitioning between an unconstrained operating region of the envelope tracking power supply voltage and a high side constrained operating region of the envelope tracking power supply voltage, the envelope tracking power supply voltage is hard clipped in the high side constrained operating region.

20. The circuitry of claim 18 wherein when transitioning between an unconstrained operating region of the envelope tracking power supply voltage and a high side constrained operating region of the envelope tracking power supply voltage, the envelope tracking power supply voltage is smoothly clipped between the unconstrained operating region and the high side constrained operating region.

21. The circuitry of claim 20 wherein the envelope tracking power supply voltage is based on a 3^RD order polynomial between the unconstrained operating region and the high side constrained operating region.

22. The circuitry of claim 20 wherein the envelope tracking power supply voltage is based on a piecewise spline function between the unconstrained operating region and the high side constrained operating region.

23. The circuitry of claim 16 wherein the setpoint is based on a low side constraint of the envelope tracking power supply voltage, which has a dynamic range that is limited to a low side constrained dynamic range, such that the clipped regions correspond to valleys in the RF envelope.

24. The circuitry of claim 23 wherein when transitioning between an unconstrained operating region of the envelope tracking power supply voltage and a low side constrained operating region of the envelope tracking power supply voltage, the envelope tracking power supply voltage is hard clipped in the low side constrained operating region.

25. The circuitry of claim 23 wherein when transitioning between an unconstrained operating region of the envelope tracking power supply voltage and a low side constrained operating region of the envelope tracking power supply voltage, the envelope tracking power supply voltage is smoothly clipped between the unconstrained operating region and the low side constrained operating region.

26. The circuitry of claim 25 wherein the envelope tracking power supply voltage is based on a 3^RD order polynomial between the unconstrained operating region and the low side constrained operating region.

27. The circuitry of claim 25 wherein the envelope tracking power supply voltage is based on a piecewise spline function between the unconstrained operating region and the low side constrained operating region.

28. The circuitry of claim 23 wherein when the setpoint is based on the low side constraint of the envelope tracking power supply voltage, the RF PA is further configured to operate in a low side constrained PA bias condition.

29. The circuitry of claim 16 wherein the setpoint is based on a high side constraint of the envelope tracking power supply voltage and a low side constraint of the envelope tracking power supply voltage, which has a dynamic range that is limited to a both sides constrained dynamic range, such that the clipped regions correspond to both peaks and valleys in the RF envelope.