Envelope tracking power management circuit

• US 9,973,147 B2
• Filed: 04/05/2017
• Issued: 05/15/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/10/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qorvo US, Inc. (Qorvo, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Qorvo US, Inc. (Qorvo, Inc.)
• Inventors: Khlat, Nadim
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Khanh V
• Application Number:
  US15/479,832
• Publication Number:
  US 20170331433A1
• Time in Patent Office: 405 Days
• Field of Search: 330127, 330261, 330297
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/0211 with control of the supply voltage or current
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/0222 by using a signal derived from the input signal
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/0227 using supply converters
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/0244 Stepped control
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/025 by using a signal derived from the input signal
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/0277 Selecting one or more amplifiers from a plurality of amplifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/305 in case of switching on or off of a power supply
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/102 A non-specified detector of a signal envelope being used in an amplifying circuit
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/111 the amplifier being a dual or triple band amplifier, e.g. 900 and 1800 MHz, e.g. switched or not switched, simultaneously or not
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/421 Multiple switches coupled in the output circuit of an amplifier are controlled by a circuit
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/451 the amplifier being a radio frequency amplifier
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/19 with semiconductor devices only
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/21 with semiconductor devices only H03F3/245 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/245 with semiconductor devices only
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/68 Combinations of amplifiers, e.g. multi-channel amplifiers for stereophonics power amplifiers using a combination of several semiconductor amplifiers H03F3/211; combinations of amplifiers using coupling networks with distributed constants H03F3/602

Abstract

An envelope tracking power management circuit is disclosed. An envelope tracking power management circuit includes a first envelope tracking amplifier(s) and a second envelope tracking amplifier(s), each configured to amplify a respective radio frequency (RF) signal(s) based on a respective supply voltage. A power management circuit can determine that a selected envelope tracking amplifier, which can be either the first envelope tracking amplifier(s) or the second envelope tracking amplifier(s), receives the respective supply voltage lower than a voltage required to amplify the respective RF signal(s) to a predetermined voltage. In response, the power management circuit provides a boosted voltage, which is no less than the required voltage, to the selected envelope tracking amplifier. As such, it is possible to enable the selected envelope tracking amplifier to amplify the respective RF signal(s) to the predetermined voltage without increasing cost, footprint, and power consumption of the envelope tracking power management circuit.

Claims

1. An envelope tracking power management circuit, comprising:

at least one first envelope tracking amplifier configured to amplify at least one first radio frequency (RF) signal based on a first supply voltage received on a first supply voltage input for transmission from at least one first RF transmission circuit in at least one first RF carrier;

at least one second envelope tracking amplifier configured to amplify at least one second RF signal based on a second supply voltage received on a second supply voltage input for transmission from at least one second RF transmission circuit in at least one second RF carrier; and

a power management circuit configured to;

determine a selected envelope tracking amplifier among the at least one first envelope tracking amplifier and the at least one second envelope tracking amplifier, wherein the selected envelope tracking amplifier receives a respective supply voltage lower than a voltage required to amplify a respective RF signal to a predetermined voltage; and

provide a boosted voltage to a respective supply voltage input of the selected envelope tracking amplifier, wherein the boosted voltage is greater than or equal to the voltage required to amplify the respective RF signal to the predetermined voltage.

2. The envelope tracking power management circuit of claim 1, wherein the power management circuit is configured to:

determine that the at least one first envelope tracking amplifier receives the first supply voltage lower than the voltage required to amplify the at least one first RF signal to the predetermined voltage; and

provide the boosted voltage to the first supply voltage input of the at least one first envelope tracking amplifier to amplify the at least one first RF signal to the predetermined voltage.

3. The envelope tracking power management circuit of claim 1, wherein the power management circuit is configured to:

determine that the at least one second envelope tracking amplifier receives the second supply voltage lower than the voltage required to amplify the at least one second RF signal to the predetermined voltage; and

provide the boosted voltage to the second supply voltage input of the at least one second envelope tracking amplifier to amplify the at least one second RF signal to the predetermined voltage.

4. The envelope tracking power management circuit of claim 1, wherein the power management circuit comprises:

first voltage boost circuitry configured to;

generate a first boosted voltage higher than the first supply voltage; and

provide the first boosted voltage to a first boosted voltage output; and

second voltage boost circuitry configured to;

generate a second boosted voltage higher than the second supply voltage; and

provide the second boosted voltage to a second boosted voltage output.

5. The envelope tracking power management circuit of claim 4, wherein:

the first boosted voltage is less than or equal to two times the first supply voltage; and

the second boosted voltage is less than or equal to two times the second supply voltage.

6. The envelope tracking power management circuit of claim 4, wherein the power management circuit further comprises:

first buck circuitry configured to generate a first electrical current based on a first input voltage and provide the first electrical current to the at least one first RF transmission circuit; and

second buck circuitry configured to generate a second electrical current based on a second input voltage and provide the second electrical current to the at least one second RF transmission circuit.

7. The envelope tracking power management circuit of claim 6, wherein the power management circuit further comprises:

first switcher circuitry coupled to the first voltage boost circuitry and the first buck circuitry; and

second switcher circuitry coupled to the second voltage boost circuitry and the second buck circuitry.

8. The envelope tracking power management circuit of claim 7, wherein the power management circuit further comprises at least one control circuit communicatively coupled to the first switcher circuitry and the second switcher circuitry.

9. The envelope tracking power management circuit of claim 8, wherein the at least one control circuit is configured to:

determine that the at least one first envelope tracking amplifier receives the first supply voltage lower than the voltage required to amplify the at least one first RF signal to the predetermined voltage; and

couple the second boosted voltage output of the second voltage boost circuitry to the first supply voltage input of the at least one first envelope tracking amplifier to provide the second boosted voltage to the at least one first envelope tracking amplifier.

10. The envelope tracking power management circuit of claim 9, wherein the power management circuit further comprises first low drop-off output (LDO) circuitry configured to provide the first supply voltage and the second boosted voltage to the first supply voltage input.

11. The envelope tracking power management circuit of claim 9, wherein the power management circuit further comprises:

low drop-off output (LDO) circuitry configured to provide the first supply voltage to the first supply voltage input; and

boosted LDO circuitry configured to provide the second boosted voltage to the first supply voltage input.

12. The envelope tracking power management circuit of claim 9, wherein the power management circuit further comprises a p-type metal-oxide semiconductor field-effect transistor (pMOSFET) configured to regulate the second boosted voltage.

13. The envelope tracking power management circuit of claim 9, wherein the at least one control circuit is further configured to:

control the first switcher circuitry to provide the first supply voltage to the first buck circuitry as the first input voltage; and

control the second switcher circuitry to provide the second supply voltage to the second buck circuitry as the second input voltage.

14. The envelope tracking power management circuit of claim 8, wherein the at least one control circuit is configured to:

determine that the at least one second envelope tracking amplifier receives the second supply voltage lower than the voltage required to amplify the at least one second RF signal to the predetermined voltage; and

couple the first boosted voltage output of the first voltage boost circuitry to the second supply voltage input of the at least one second envelope tracking amplifier to provide the first boosted voltage to the at least one second envelope tracking amplifier.

15. The envelope tracking power management circuit of claim 14, wherein the power management circuit further comprises second low drop-off output (LDO) circuitry configured to provide the second supply voltage and the first boosted voltage to the second supply voltage input.

16. The envelope tracking power management circuit of claim 14, wherein the power management circuit further comprises:

low drop-off output (LDO) circuitry configured to provide the second supply voltage to the second supply voltage input; and

boosted LDO circuitry configured to provide the first boosted voltage to the second supply voltage input.

17. The envelope tracking power management circuit of claim 14, wherein the power management circuit further comprises a p-type metal-oxide semiconductor field-effect transistor (pMOSFET) configured to regulate the first boosted voltage.

18. The envelope tracking power management circuit of claim 14, wherein the at least one control circuit is further configured to:

control the first switcher circuitry to provide the first supply voltage to the first buck circuitry as the first input voltage t; and

control the second switcher circuitry to provide the second supply voltage to the second buck circuitry as the second input voltage.

19. The envelope tracking power management circuit of claim 1, wherein:

the at least one first RF signal comprises a first low-band RF signal and a first mid-band RF signal;

the at least one first RF transmission circuit comprises a first low-band transmission circuit and a first mid-band transmission circuit configured to transmit the first low-band RF signal and the first mid-band RF signal, respectively;

the at least one second RF signal comprises a second mid-band RF signal and a second high-band RF signal; and

the at least one second RF transmission circuit comprises a second mid-band transmission circuit and a second high-band transmission circuit configured to transmit the second mid-band RF signal and the second high-band RF signal, respectively.

20. An envelope tracking power management circuit, comprising:

at least one first envelope tracking amplifier configured to amplify at least one first radio frequency (RF) signal based on a first supply voltage received on a first supply voltage input for transmission from at least one first RF transmission circuit in at least one first RF carrier;

at least one second envelope tracking amplifier configured to amplify at least one second RF signal based on a second supply voltage received on a second supply voltage input for transmission from at least one second RF transmission circuit in at least one second RF carrier; and

a power management circuit configured to;

determine that the at least one first envelope tracking amplifier receives the first supply voltage lower than a voltage required to amplify the at least one first RF signal to a predetermined voltage; and

provide a boosted voltage to the first supply voltage input of the at least one first envelope tracking amplifier, wherein the boosted voltage is greater than or equal to the voltage required to amplify the at least one first RF signal to the predetermined voltage.