Apparatus and method for attenuating a multicarrier input signal of a linear device

• US 5,384,547 A
• Filed: 08/02/1993
• Issued: 01/24/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 08/02/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Motorola Mobility LLC (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Van Horn, Mark, Lynk, Charles N. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Mullins, James B.
• Application Number:
  US08/100,806
• Time in Patent Office: 540 Days
• Field of Search: 330/136, 330/138, 330/144, 330/145, 330/280, 330/284, 455/249.1
• US Class Current: 330/136
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 3/3036 in high-frequency amplifiers or in frequency-changers H03G3/3052, H03G3/32, H03G3/34 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 3/3078 Circuits generating control signals for digitally modulated signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/2601 Multicarrier modulation systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/2624 by soft clipping

Abstract

The apparatus first measures the peak power of a multichannel signal, or representation thereof. The peak power is compared with one or more peak power threshold values. If the measured peak power exceeds a threshold value, the multichannel signal is attenuated prior to being processed by the linear power amplifier.

Claims

1. A method for attenuating a multicarrier input signal of a linear device, said method comprising the steps of:

measuring a peak power of said multicarrier input signal;

comparing said peak power to a plurality of thresholds; and

attenuating said input signal by an amount relating to a number of said plurality of thresholds exceeded if said peak power exceeds one or more of said plurality of thresholds.

2. A method for attenuating a multicarrier input signal of a linear power amplifier comprising the steps of:

monitoring said multicarrier signal to produce a representative multicarrier signal;

measuring a peak power of said representative multicarrier signal;

comparing said peak power to a first preset threshold;

attenuating said input signal by a first amount if said peak power exceeds said first preset threshold;

comparing said peak power to a second preset threshold; and

attenuating said input signal by a second amount if said peak power exceeds said first preset threshold.