Linearized digital automatic gain control

• US 5,627,857 A
• Filed: 09/15/1995
• Issued: 05/06/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Wilson, Nathaniel B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Stephen
• Assistant Examiner(s): VO, DON NGUYEN
• Application Number:
  US08/528,969
• Time in Patent Office: 599 Days
• Field of Search: 375/345, 375/205, 375/296, 375/219, 455/245.1, 455/250.1, 455/245.2, 455/232.1, 455/234.1, 455/234.2, 455/115, 455/127, 455/136, 455/138, 455/239.1, 455/240.1, 455/249.1
• US Class Current: 375/219
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/3241 using predistortion circuits H03F1/3211, H03F1/3217 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/294 the amplifier being a low noise amplifier [LNA]
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/372 Noise reduction and elimination in amplifier
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 3/3042 in modulators, frequency-changers, transmitters or power amplifiers transmission power control in bidirectional transmission systems H04W52/04

Abstract

The present invention provides linear, digital automatic gain control (AGC) in a radio. A received signal is demodulated to provide I and Q digital baseband signals. A received signal strength indication is determined from these signals and the resulting digital signal is adjusted to provide a logarithmic response. This signal is then integrated to provide a digital receive AGC adjust signal. For the transmit AGC adjust, the digital receive AGC adjust signal is filtered and then summed with a scaled closed loop power control command. The closed loop power control commands are ignored if they would result in increasing the transmit gain beyond the amplifier'"'"'s designed maximum output. The result of the sum operation converted from digital to analog for adjusting the amplifier. The outputs of the transmit and receive AGC amplifiers are linearized by transmit and receive linearizers, respectively, which pre-distort the digital AGC adjust signals prior to digital to analog conversion.

Claims

1. A linearized digital control apparatus for automatic gain control (AGC) in a radio having a transmit AGC amplifier and a receive AGC amplifier, the apparatus comprising:

a received signal strength detector, coupled to the receive AGC amplifier, for generating a digital power level signal from a received signal;

an integrator, coupled to the received signal strength detector, for generating a digital AGC adjust signal;

a receive linearizer having a plurality of receive slope values and a plurality of receive offset values, coupled to the integrator, for generating a linearized receive adjust signal in response to one of the plurality of receive slope values and one of the plurality of receive offset values;

a receive digital to analog converter coupled to the receive linearizer for converting the linearized receive adjust signal into an analog receive adjust signal, the analog receive adjust signal controlling the gain of the receive AGC amplifier;

a transmit linearizer having a plurality of transmit slope values and a plurality of transmit offset values, coupled to the integrator, for generating a linearized transmit adjust signal in response to one of the plurality of transmit slope values and one of the plurality of transmit offset values; and

a transmit digital to analog converter coupled to the transmit linearizer for converting the linearized transmit adjust signal into an analog transmit adjust signal, the analog transmit adjust signal controlling the gain of the transmit AGC amplifier.

2. The linearized digital control apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

a closed loop power control circuit for accepting transmit power control commands; and

a summer having a first input coupled to the closed loop power control circuit, a second input coupled to the integrator, and an output coupled to the transmit linearizer, the summer for adding a received digital power control signal to the digital AGC adjust signal.

3. The linearized digital control apparatus of claim 2 further comprising a transmit power limiting control coupled to an input of the closed loop power control circuit, the transmit power limiting control restricting the digital AGC adjust signal to a maximum gain adjustment.

4. The linearized digital control apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a power amplifier coupled to an output of the transmit AGC amplifier and a low noise amplifier coupled to an input of the receive AGC amplifier.

5. The linearized digital control apparatus of claim 4 further comprising a power amplifier range control, coupled to the integrator and to a control input of the power amplifier, for generating a power amplifier gain control signal.

6. The linearized digital control apparatus of claim 5 wherein said power amplifier range control comprises:

a plurality of comparators, for generating a plurality of comparison signals in response to a transmit AGC adjust signal and a plurality of range threshold signals; and

a priority encoder, coupled to said plurality of comparators, for generating said power amplifier gain control signal in response to said plurality of comparison signals.

7. The linearized digital control apparatus of claim 4 further comprising a low noise amplifier range control, coupled to the integrator and to a control input of the low noise amplifier, for generating a low noise amplifier gain control signal.

8. The linearized digital control apparatus of claim 7 wherein said low noise amplifier has a plurality of gain ranges selectable by said low noise amplifier gain control signal, and wherein said low noise amplifier range control comprises:

a comparator for generating a comparison signal in response to said digital AGC adjust signal and a plurality of range threshold signals; and

a summer, coupled to said comparator, for altering said digital AGC adjust signal by a compensating offset amount when said low noise amplifier transitions between a first and second of said plurality of gain ranges.

9. The linearized digital control apparatus of claim 2 wherein the received digital power control signal is scaled by a predetermined constant.

10. The linearized digital control apparatus of claim 1 wherein the integrator is coupled to the transmit linearizer through a first order recursive low pass filter.

11. The linearized digital control apparatus of claim 1 wherein the digital power level signal provides a logarithmic response.

12. A linearized digital control apparatus for automatic gain control (AGC) in a radio having a transmit AGC amplifier and a receive AGC amplifier, the transmit AGC amplifier being coupled to a power amplifier, a low noise amplifier being coupled to the receive AGC amplifier through a bandpass filter, the apparatus comprising:

a received signal strength detector, coupled to the receive AGC amplifier, for generating a digital power level signal from a received signal, the digital power level signal being adjusted to provide a logarithmic response;

an integrator, coupled to the receive signal strength detector, for generating a digital AGC adjust signal;

a filter, coupled to the integrator, for filtering the digital AGC adjust signal;

a low noise amplifier gain control, coupled to the integrator and the low noise amplifier, for adjusting the gain of the low noise amplifier;

a receive linearizer having a plurality of receive slope values and a plurality of receive offset values, coupled to the low noise amplifier gain control, for generating a linearized receive adjust signal in response to one of the plurality of receive slope values and one of the plurality of receive offset values;

a receive digital to analog converter coupled to the receive linearizer for converting the linearized receive adjust signal into an analog receive adjust signal, the analog receive adjust signal controlling the gain of the receive AGC amplifier;

a transmit power limiting circuit, coupled to the filter, for limiting the digital AGC adjust signal to a maximum gain adjustment;

a transmit linearizer having a plurality of transmit slope values and a plurality of transmit offset values, coupled to the integrator and transmit power limiting circuit, for generating a linearized transmit adjust signal in response to one of the plurality of transmit slope values and one of the plurality of transmit offset values; and

a transmit digital to analog converter coupled to the transmit linearizer for converting the linearized transmit adjust signal into an analog transmit adjust signal, the analog transmit adjust signal controlling the gain of the transmit AGC amplifier.

13. A method for linearized digital automatic gain control (AGC) in a radio having a transmit AGC amplifier, a receive AGC amplifier, a transmit linearizer having a plurality of transmit slope values and a plurality of transmit offset values, and a receive linearizer having a plurality of receive slope values and a plurality of receive offset values, the method comprising the steps of:

the radio receiving a signal;

generating a digital power level signal from the received signal;

integrating the digital power level signal to generate a digital AGC adjust signal;

generating a linearized digital receive adjust signal in response to one of the plurality of receive slope values and one of the plurality of receive offset values;

converting the linearized digital receive adjust signal into an analog receive adjust signal, the analog receive adjust signal controlling the gain of the receive AGC amplifier;

generating a linearized digital transmit adjust signal; and

converting the linearized digital transmit adjust signal into an analog transmit adjust signal, the analog transmit adjust signal controlling the gain of the transmit AGC amplifier.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising the step of limiting the linearized digital transmit adjust signal to a maximum gain adjustment.