Apparatus and a method for amplifying a transmit signal

• US 9,450,553 B2
• Filed: 02/11/2015
• Issued: 09/20/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel IP Corporation (Intel Corporation)
• Inventors: Langer, Andreas, Kraut, Gunther
• Primary Examiner(s): Trinh, Sonny
• Application Number:
  US14/619,425
• Publication Number:
  US 20150280675A1
• Time in Patent Office: 587 Days
• Field of Search: 455/114.3, 455/127.3, 330/259, 330/260, 330/265, 330/270, 330/271, 330/290, 330/291
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/0227 using supply converters
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/102 A non-specified detector of a signal envelope being used in an amplifying circuit
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/19 with semiconductor devices only
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/245 with semiconductor devices only
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 3/3042 in modulators, frequency-changers, transmitters or power amplifiers transmission power control in bidirectional transmission systems H04W52/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/0458 Arrangements for matching and coupling between power amplifier and antenna or between amplifying stages matching circuits in general H03H
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/368 adaptive predistortion

Abstract

An apparatus for amplifying a transmit signal includes a power amplifier module arranged within a transmit path to be coupled to an antenna module. The power amplifier module is configured to amplify a transmit signal. Further, the apparatus includes a coupling module arranged between the power amplifier module and the antenna module. The coupling module is configured to provide a reverse feedback signal substantially generated by a part of the amplified transmit signal reflected by the antenna module. Further, the apparatus includes a determining module configured to determine a delay information on a delay between the transmit path and an envelope tracking path based on at least the reverse feedback signal. Additionally, the apparatus includes a power supply module arranged within the envelope tracking path configured to vary a power supply of the power amplifier module based on a transmit signal envelope information with a temporal alignment depending on the delay information.

Claims

1. An apparatus for amplifying a transmit signal, the apparatus comprising:

a power amplifier module arranged within a transmit path coupled to an antenna module, wherein the power amplifier module is configured to amplify a transmit signal;

a coupling module arranged between the power amplifier module and the antenna module, wherein the coupling module is configured to provide a reverse feedback signal substantially generated by a part of the amplified transmit signal reflected by the antenna module;

a determining circuit configured to determine a delay information on a delay between the transmit path and an envelope tracking path based on at least the reverse feedback signal;

a power supply module arranged within the envelope tracking path configured to vary a power supply of the power amplifier module based on a transmit signal envelope information with a temporal alignment depending on the delay information;

an envelope tracking circuit arranged within the envelope tracking path configured to determine the transmit signal envelope information based on a baseband transmit signal being the basis for the transmit signal; and

the envelope tracking circuit comprising of a variable delay module configured to vary a signal delay within the envelope tracking path based on the delay information to adjust the temporal alignment of a variation of the power supply of the power amplifier module to a corresponding variation of the transmit signal.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the variable delay module is configured to vary a delay of the baseband transmit signal, a signal derived from the baseband transmit signal for determining the transmit signal envelope information or the transmit signal envelope information.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transmit signal envelope information is based on a current amplitude of the transmit signal.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the delay information varies in dependency on a frequency of the transmit signal.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the power supply module comprises a DC-DC-converter module configured to provide a varying supply voltage to the power amplifier module.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the antenna module comprises a duplexer module.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, comprising a feedback signal conversion module configured to generate a baseband forward feedback signal and a baseband reverse feedback signal based on the forward feedback signal and the reverse feedback signal provided by the coupler module.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the determining module is configured to determine the delay information based on the baseband forward feedback signal and the baseband reverse feedback signal.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1, configured to vary a signal delay within the envelope tracking path based on the delay information during transmission of the transmit signal.

10. An apparatus for amplifying a transmit signal, the apparatus comprising:

a power amplifier module arranged within a transmit path coupled to an antenna module, wherein the power amplifier module is configured to amplify a transmit signal;

a coupling module arranged between the power amplifier module and the antenna module, wherein the coupling module is configured to provide a reverse feedback signal substantially generated by a part of the amplified transmit signal reflected by the antenna module;

a determining module configured to determine a delay information on a delay between the transmit path and an envelope tracking path based on at least the reverse feedback signal, wherein the delay information is represented by a frequency depending group delay caused by the antenna module; and

a power supply module arranged within the envelope tracking path configured to vary a power supply of the power amplifier module based on a transmit signal envelope information with a temporal alignment depending on the delay information.

11. An apparatus for amplifying a transmit signal, the apparatus comprising:

a power amplifier module arranged within a transmit path coupled to an antenna module, wherein the power amplifier module is configured to amplify a transmit signal;

a coupling module arranged between the power amplifier module and the antenna module, wherein the coupling module is configured to provide a reverse feedback signal substantially generated by a part of the amplified transmit signal reflected by the antenna module;

a determining module configured to determine a delay information on a delay between the transmit path and an envelope tracking path based on at least the reverse feedback signal; and

a power supply module arranged within the envelope tracking path configured to vary a power supply of the power amplifier module based on a transmit signal envelope information with a temporal alignment depending on the delay information,

wherein the coupling module is configured to provide the reverse feedback signal and a forward feedback signal substantially generated by the amplified transmit signal propagating from the power amplifier module to the antenna module.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the determining module is configured to determine a reflection coefficient of the antenna module based on the forward feedback signal and the reverse feedback signal to determine the delay information.

13. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the determining module is configured to determine an absolute value and phase of the reflection coefficient of the antenna module to determine the delay information.

14. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the determining module is configured to determine a frequency depending group delay based on the absolute value and the phase of the reflection coefficient of the antenna module.

15. An apparatus for amplifying a transmit signal, the apparatus comprising:

a transmit path comprising a power amplifier module to be coupled to an antenna module, wherein the power amplifier module is configured to amplify a transmit signal; and

an envelope tracking path comprising a power supply module,

wherein the power supply module is configured to vary a power supply of the power amplifier module with a temporal alignment adjustable by a variable delay circuit,

wherein the variable delay circuit is arranged within the envelope tracking path or the transmit path,

wherein the variable delay circuit is configured to vary a signal delay within the envelope tracking path or the transmit path according to a transmit signal frequency depending variation of a delay difference between the transmit path and the envelope tracking path.

16. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the power supply module is configured to vary the power supply of the power amplifier module with a temporal alignment adjusted by the variable delay module during a transmission of the transmit signal to an external receiver.

17. The apparatus according to claim 15, comprising a coupling module arranged between the power amplifier module and the antenna module to be coupled to the power amplifier module, wherein the coupling module is configured to provide a forward feedback signal substantially generated by the amplified transmit signal propagating from the power amplifier module to the antenna module and a reverse feedback signal substantially generated by a part of the amplified transmit signal reflected by the antenna module.

18. The apparatus according to claim 17, comprising a determining module configured to determine a delay information on a delay between the transmit path and an envelope tracking path based on the forward feedback signal and the reverse feedback signal, wherein the variable delay module is configured to vary the signal delay of the envelope tracking path or the transmit path based on the delay information.

19. The apparatus according to one of the claims 15, wherein the variable delay module is configured to vary a signal delay within the envelope tracking path or the transmit path according to a delay control parameter.

20. The apparatus according to claim 19, comprising a delay control module configured to provide the delay control parameter based on a current characteristic transmit frequency of the transmit signal.