Multiple power supply input parallel amplifier based envelope tracking

• US 9,379,667 B2
• Filed: 11/05/2013
• Issued: 06/28/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/05/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qorvo US, Inc. (Qorvo, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: RF Micro Devices Incorporated (Qorvo, Inc.)
• Inventors: Khlat, Nadim, Kay, Michael R., Gorisse, Philippe
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Patricia T
• Application Number:
  US14/072,225
• Publication Number:
  US 20140062590A1
• Time in Patent Office: 966 Days
• Field of Search: 330/297, 330/10, 330/127, 330/133
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/07 using capacitors charged and discharged alternately by semiconductor devices with control electrode , e.g. charge pumps
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/158 including plural semiconductor devices as final control devices for a single load
• 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 1/0227 using supply converters
• 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 3/189 High-frequency amplifiers, e.g. radio frequency amplifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/24 of transmitter output stages
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 3/3042 in modulators, frequency-changers, transmitters or power amplifiers transmission power control in bidirectional transmission systems H04W52/04

Abstract

A switch mode power supply converter and a parallel amplifier are disclosed. The switch mode power supply converter is coupled to a modulated power supply output and the parallel amplifier has a parallel amplifier output coupled to the modulated power supply output. Further, the parallel amplifier has a group of output stages, such that each output stage is directly coupled to the parallel amplifier output and each output stage receives a separate supply voltage.

Claims

1. Circuitry comprising:

a switch mode power supply converter coupled to a modulated power supply output; and

a parallel amplifier having a parallel amplifier output coupled to the modulated power supply output, wherein;

the parallel amplifier has a plurality of output stages;

a coupling capacitive element is coupled between the parallel amplifier output and the modulated power supply output;

each of the plurality of output stages is configured to receive a corresponding one of a plurality of supply voltages; and

each of the plurality of output stages is directly coupled to the parallel amplifier output.

2. The circuitry of claim 1 wherein the switch mode power supply converter is configured to cooperatively operate with the parallel amplifier to provide a power amplifier supply voltage to a radio frequency power amplifier via the modulated power supply output, such that the power amplifier supply voltage is based on the plurality of supply voltages.

3. The circuitry of claim 2 wherein the power amplifier supply voltage is a modulated supply voltage.

4. The circuitry of claim 1 wherein the switch mode power supply converter has a switching voltage output, such that a power inductive element is coupled between the switching voltage output and the modulated power supply output.

7. The circuitry of claim 1 wherein the plurality of output stages consists of two output stages.

8. The circuitry of claim 1 wherein the plurality of output stages consists of three output stages.

9. The circuitry of claim 1 wherein the plurality of output stages consists of four output stages.

10. The circuitry of claim 1 wherein each of the plurality of supply voltages is not equal to any other of the plurality of supply voltages.

5. Circuitry comprising:

a switch mode power supply converter coupled to a modulated power supply output; and

a parallel amplifier having a parallel amplifier output coupled to the modulated power supply output, wherein;

the parallel amplifier has a plurality of output stages;

each of the plurality of output stages is a push-pull output stage;

each of the plurality of output stages is configured to receive a corresponding one of a plurality of supply voltages; and

each of the plurality of output stages is directly coupled to the parallel amplifier output.

6. The circuitry of claim 5 wherein the plurality of output stages comprises and shares a shared NFET transistor element coupled between the parallel amplifier output and a ground.

11. Circuitry comprising:

a switch mode power supply converter coupled to a modulated power supply output;

a charge pump configured to provide at least one of a plurality of supply voltages;

a parallel amplifier having a parallel amplifier output coupled to the modulated power supply output, wherein;

the parallel amplifier has a plurality of output stages;

each of the plurality of output stages is configured to receive a corresponding one of the plurality of supply voltages; and

each of the plurality of output stages is directly coupled to the parallel amplifier output.

12. The circuitry of claim 11 wherein the charge pump has at least a first output, such that each of the at least one of the plurality of supply voltages is provided via a corresponding one of the at least the first output.

13. The circuitry of claim 12 wherein each of at least a first output capacitive element is coupled between a corresponding one of the at least the first output and a ground.

14. The circuitry of claim 11 wherein the plurality of supply voltages consists of a battery voltage and a first supply voltage, which is provided by the charge pump.

15. The circuitry of claim 14 wherein the charge pump is a μ

C charge pump, such that the first supply voltage is based on two flying capacitive elements and the first supply voltage is about equal to any of 5/4 times the battery voltage, 4/3 times the battery voltage, 3/2 times the battery voltage, ¼

times the battery voltage, ⅓

times the battery voltage, ½

times the battery voltage, ⅔

times the battery voltage, and ¾

times the battery voltage.

16. The circuitry of claim 11 wherein the plurality of supply voltages consists of a first supply voltage and a second supply voltage, which are provided by the charge pump.

17. The circuitry of claim 16 wherein the charge pump is a μ

C charge pump, such that the first supply voltage and the second supply voltage are based on two flying capacitive elements;

the first supply voltage is about equal to any of 5/4 times a battery voltage, 4/3 times the battery voltage, and 3/2 times the battery voltage; and

the second supply voltage is about equal to any of ¼

times the battery voltage, ⅓

times the battery voltage, ½

times the battery voltage, ⅔

times the battery voltage, and ¾

times the battery voltage.

18. The circuitry of claim 11 wherein the plurality of supply voltages consists of a first supply voltage, a second supply voltage, and a battery voltage, such that the first supply voltage and the second supply voltage are provided by the charge pump.

19. The circuitry of claim 18 wherein the charge pump is a μ

C charge pump, such that the first supply voltage and the second supply voltage are based on two flying capacitive elements;

the first supply voltage is about equal to any of 5/4 times the battery voltage, 4/3 times the battery voltage, and 3/2 times the battery voltage; and

the second supply voltage is about equal to any of ¼

times the battery voltage, ⅓

times the battery voltage, ½

times the battery voltage, ⅔

times the battery voltage, and ¾

times the battery voltage.

20. The circuitry of claim 18 wherein when the first supply voltage is greater than both the battery voltage and the second supply voltage, and when the first supply voltage and at least one of the battery voltage and the second supply voltage are greater than a maximum voltage at the parallel amplifier output, the charge pump is configured to disable the first supply voltage;

and when the second supply voltage is greater than both the battery voltage and the first supply voltage, and when the second supply voltage and at least one of the battery voltage and the first supply voltage is greater than the maximum voltage at the parallel amplifier output, the charge pump is configured to disable the second supply voltage.

21. The circuitry of claim 11 wherein the plurality of supply voltages consists of a first supply voltage, a second supply voltage, and a third supply voltage, such that the first supply voltage, the second supply voltage, and the third supply voltage are provided by the charge pump.

22. The circuitry of claim 21 wherein the charge pump is a μ

C charge pump, such that the first supply voltage, the second supply voltage, and the third supply voltage are based on two flying capacitive elements;

the first supply voltage is about equal to any of 5/4 times a battery voltage, 4/3 times the battery voltage, and 3/2 times the battery voltage;

the second supply voltage is about equal to any of ¼

times the battery voltage, ⅓

times the battery voltage, and ½

times the battery voltage; and

the third supply voltage is about equal to any of ½

times the battery voltage, ⅔

times the battery voltage, and ¾

times the battery voltage.

23. The circuitry of claim 21 wherein when the first supply voltage is greater than both the second supply voltage and the third supply voltage, and when the first supply voltage and at least one of the second supply voltage and the third supply voltage are greater than a maximum voltage at the parallel amplifier output, the charge pump is configured to disable the first supply voltage;

when the second supply voltage is greater than both the first supply voltage and the third supply voltage, and when the second supply voltage and at least one of the first supply voltage and the third supply voltage is greater than the maximum voltage at the parallel amplifier output, the charge pump is configured to disable the second supply voltage; and

when the third supply voltage is greater than both the first supply voltage and the second supply voltage, and when the third supply voltage and at least one of the first supply voltage and the second supply voltage is greater than the maximum voltage at the parallel amplifier output, the charge pump is configured to disable the third supply voltage.

24. The circuitry of claim 11 wherein the plurality of supply voltages consists of a first supply voltage, a second supply voltage, a third supply voltage, and a battery voltage, such that the first supply voltage, the second supply voltage, and the third supply voltage are provided by the charge pump.

25. The circuitry of claim 24 wherein the charge pump is a μ

C charge pump, such that the first supply voltage, the second supply voltage, and the third supply voltage are based on two flying capacitive elements;

the first supply voltage is about equal to any of 5/4 times the battery voltage, 4/3 times the battery voltage, and 3/2 times the battery voltage;

the second supply voltage is about equal to any of ¼

times the battery voltage, ⅓

times the battery voltage, and ½

times the battery voltage; and

the third supply voltage is about equal to any of ½

times the battery voltage, ⅔

times the battery voltage, and ¾

times the battery voltage.

26. The circuitry of claim 24 wherein when the first supply voltage is greater than all of the second supply voltage, the third supply voltage, and the battery voltage, and when the first supply voltage and at least one of the second supply voltage, the third supply voltage, and the battery voltage are greater than a maximum voltage at the parallel amplifier output, the charge pump is configured to disable the first supply voltage;

when the second supply voltage is greater than all of the first supply voltage, the third supply voltage, and the battery voltage, and when the second supply voltage and at least one of the first supply voltage, the third supply voltage, and the battery voltage is greater than the maximum voltage at the parallel amplifier output, the charge pump is configured to disable the second supply voltage;

and when the third supply voltage is greater than all of the first supply voltage, the second supply voltage, and the battery voltage, and when the third supply voltage and at least one of the first supply voltage, the second supply voltage, and the battery voltage is greater than the maximum voltage at the parallel amplifier output, the charge pump is configured to disable the third supply voltage.

27. A method comprising:

providing a switch mode power supply converter, which is coupled to a modulated power supply output, and a parallel amplifier, which has a plurality of output stages and a parallel amplifier output, such that a coupling capacitive element is coupled between the parallel amplifier output and the modulated power supply output;

receiving a corresponding one of a plurality of supply voltages for each of the plurality of output stages; and

cooperatively operating the switch mode power supply converter with the parallel amplifier to provide a power amplifier supply voltage to a radio frequency power amplifier, such that the power amplifier supply voltage is based on the plurality of supply voltages.