Power amplification module, control method of power amplification module and base station radio frequency unit

Abstract

This application provides a power amplifier module, a control method for the power amplifier module, and a base station radio frequency unit. It belongs to the field of communication technology. It includes: a control unit, a power sampling unit, an input power distribution unit, a main amplifier, and a peak amplifier; the power sampling unit collects the power of the signal at a preset sampling rate to obtain the power of N sampling points, where N is a positive integer; based on the power of the sampling points, it determines the average power and peak power; the control unit receives the average power and peak power sent by the power sampling unit; based on the average power, it controls the input power distribution unit to output the signal from a third output terminal, input it to the main amplifier, or input it to the main amplifier and peak amplifier according to the signal input ratio corresponding to the peak power. This solves the problem of low efficiency in power amplifier modules.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a power amplifier module, a control method for the power amplifier module, and a base station radio frequency unit. Background Technology

[0002] The number of 5G base stations and data transmission speeds are significantly higher than those of 4G and 3G, but the power consumption of the base stations is also correspondingly higher. The power consumption of the base station mainly comes from the power amplification module.

[0003] Currently, in related technologies, power amplifier modules need to amplify useful radio frequency signals to average power, amplify signals to peak power in the case of time-domain superposition, and suppress peak-to-average power ratio to ensure that the power amplifier module operates in the linear region.

[0004] However, the inventors discovered that the related technology has at least the following technical problems: In actual networks, there will be changes in the number of users and changes in peak-to-average power ratio suppression capability. These situations make it more likely that the power amplifier module will operate in the nonlinear region, which will cause a greater possibility of signal distortion. The power amplifier module needs to reduce the output power to accommodate higher peak power in order to keep the operating point in the linear region, resulting in the output power being lower than its rated power, resulting in power redundancy and a decrease in efficiency. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This application provides a power amplifier module, a control method for the power amplifier module, and a base station radio frequency unit to solve the technical problem of low efficiency of the power amplifier module.

[0006] In a first aspect, embodiments of this application provide a power amplification module, including: a control unit, a power sampling unit, an input power distribution unit, a main amplifier, and a peak amplifier; the input terminal of the power sampling unit serves as the input terminal of the power amplification module, the output terminal of the power sampling unit is connected to the input terminal of the input power distribution unit, the first output terminal of the input power distribution unit is connected to the input terminal of the main amplifier, the second output terminal of the input power distribution unit is connected to the input terminal of the peak amplifier, and the third output terminal of the input power distribution unit, the output terminal of the main amplifier, and the output terminal of the peak amplifier serve as the output terminal of the power amplification module; the power sampling unit collects the power of a signal at a preset sampling rate to obtain the power of N sampling points, where N is a positive integer; based on the power of the sampling points, the average power and peak power are determined; the control unit receives the average power and peak power sent by the power sampling unit; based on the average power, the control unit controls the input power distribution unit to output the signal from the third output terminal, input it to the main amplifier, or input it to the main amplifier and the peak amplifier according to the signal input ratio corresponding to the peak power.

[0007] In one possible implementation, controlling the input power allocation unit to output a signal from the third output terminal, input a signal to the main amplifier, or input a signal to the main amplifier and the peak amplifier according to the average power, based on the average power, includes: if the average power is less than a first average power threshold, disconnecting the power supply to the main amplifier and the peak amplifier, and controlling the input power allocation unit to output a signal from the third output terminal; if the average power is greater than or equal to the first average power threshold, controlling the input power allocation unit to input a signal to the main amplifier or input a signal to the main amplifier and the peak amplifier according to the average power, based on the average power.

[0008] In one possible implementation, controlling the input power allocation unit to input a signal to the main amplifier or to the main amplifier and the peak amplifier according to the average power and the signal input ratio corresponding to the peak power includes: if the average power is less than a second average power threshold, disconnecting the power supply to the peak amplifier and controlling the input power allocation unit to input a signal to the main amplifier, wherein the second average power threshold is greater than a first average power threshold; if the average power is greater than or equal to the second average power threshold, calculating the signal input ratio according to the peak power; and controlling the input power allocation unit to input a signal to the main amplifier and the peak amplifier at the signal input ratio.

[0009] In one possible implementation, calculating the signal input ratio based on the peak power includes: multiplying the peak power by the subsequent stage gain, and then subtracting the preset main power amplifier output power to obtain a power difference, wherein the subsequent stage gain is the total gain of all subsequent devices in the power sampling unit along the current transmission direction; and determining the ratio of the power difference to the preset main power amplifier output power as the signal input ratio, wherein the preset main power amplifier output power is the power of the main amplifier in the preset peak output power of the power amplification module.

[0010] In one possible implementation, the calculation process of the first average power threshold includes: using the preset average gain of the power amplifier module under full load, subtracting n times the common gain of the main amplifier and the peak amplifier, and then subtracting the subsequent stage gain other than the main amplifier and the peak amplifier to obtain a first gain difference, wherein the subsequent stage gain is the total gain of all subsequent devices of the power sampling unit along the current transmission direction, and n is greater than 1; converting the first gain difference into power to obtain the first average power threshold.

[0011] In one possible implementation, the calculation process of the second average power threshold includes: subtracting a preset maximum peak-to-average power ratio from a preset main amplifier gain, and then subtracting the subsequent stage gain to obtain a second gain difference, wherein the subsequent stage gain is the total gain of all subsequent devices of the power sampling unit along the current transmission direction; converting the second gain difference into power to obtain the second average power threshold.

[0012] In one possible implementation, determining the average power and peak power based on the power of the sampling points includes: if the power of a target sampling point is greater than the power of a preset proportion of sampling points among all sampling points, then the target sampling point is determined as a peak sampling point, wherein the target sampling point is any sampling point; calculating the average power of the peak sampling points to obtain the peak power; and calculating the average power of the sampling points to obtain the average power.

[0013] In one possible implementation, the power amplification module further includes: a crest reduction unit, a digital predistortion unit, a digital-to-analog converter, a driver amplifier, and a post-processing unit; the input terminal of the crest reduction unit is the input terminal of the power amplification module, the output terminal of the crest reduction unit is connected to the input terminal of the digital predistortion unit, the output terminal of the digital predistortion unit is connected to the input terminal of the power sampling unit, the output terminal of the power sampling unit is connected to the input terminal of the digital-to-analog converter, the output terminal of the digital-to-analog converter is connected to the input terminal of the driver amplifier, the output terminal of the driver amplifier is connected to the input terminal of the input power distribution unit, the third output terminal of the input power distribution unit is connected to the first input terminal of the post-processing unit, the output terminal of the main amplifier is connected to the second input terminal of the post-processing unit, and the output terminal of the peak amplifier is connected to the third input terminal of the post-processing unit.

[0014] In one possible implementation, the control unit periodically stores the signal input ratio as a historical input ratio; if linearity reduction information is received from the digital predistortion unit in any period, the historical input ratio of the previous period is used as the signal input ratio.

[0015] Secondly, embodiments of this application provide a control method for a power amplifier module, applied to the power amplifier module described in the first aspect; the power amplifier module includes: a control unit, a power sampling unit, an input power distribution unit, a main amplifier, and a peak amplifier; the input terminal of the power sampling unit serves as the input terminal of the power amplifier module, the output terminal of the power sampling unit is connected to the input terminal of the input power distribution unit, the first output terminal of the input power distribution unit is connected to the input terminal of the main amplifier, the second output terminal of the input power distribution unit is connected to the input terminal of the peak amplifier, and the third output terminal of the input power distribution unit, the output terminal of the main amplifier, and the output terminal of the peak amplifier serve as the output terminal of the power amplifier module; the power sampling unit collects the power of a signal at a preset sampling rate to obtain the power of N sampling points, where N is a positive integer; based on the power of the sampling points, the average power and peak power are determined; the control unit receives the average power and peak power sent by the power sampling unit; based on the average power, the control unit controls the input power distribution unit to output the signal from the third output terminal, input it to the main amplifier, or input it to the main amplifier and the peak amplifier according to the signal input ratio corresponding to the peak power.

[0016] Thirdly, embodiments of this application provide a base station radio frequency unit, including: a housing and a power amplifier module as described in the first aspect, installed in the housing.

[0017] The power amplification module, the control method of the power amplification module, and the base station radio frequency unit provided in this application sample and calculate the average power. Based on the magnitude of the average power, the signal is directly output, input to the main amplifier, or input to the main amplifier and the peak amplifier according to the signal input ratio corresponding to the peak power, so as to directly output or output the signal after amplification. Since a signal amplification method adapted to the average power and peak power of the input signal is adopted, the working efficiency of the signal amplification module is increased and the energy consumption of the signal amplifier is reduced. Attached Figure Description

[0018] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with this application and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of this application.

[0019] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the power amplifier module provided in the embodiments of this application Figure 1 ;

[0020] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the power amplifier module provided in the embodiments of this application Figure 2 ;

[0021] Figure 3A flowchart illustrating the control method for the power amplifier module provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0022] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the overall flow of the control method for the power amplifier module provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0023] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a base station radio frequency unit provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0024] The accompanying drawings illustrate specific embodiments of this application, which will be described in more detail below. These drawings and descriptions are not intended to limit the scope of the concept in any way, but rather to illustrate the concept of this application to those skilled in the art through reference to particular embodiments. Detailed Implementation

[0025] Exemplary embodiments will now be described in detail, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. When the following description relates to the drawings, unless otherwise indicated, the same numbers in different drawings denote the same or similar elements. The embodiments described in the following exemplary embodiments do not represent all embodiments consistent with this application. Rather, they are merely examples of apparatuses and methods consistent with some aspects of this application as detailed in the appended claims.

[0026] Currently, the mainstream energy-saving solutions for 5G base stations mainly include saving power by statistically analyzing signal traffic and switching the power amplifiers in the base station on and off based on the traffic signal; saving power by controlling the base station's state adjustment based on factors such as current network load, user demand, and signal quality; and saving power by controlling the number of terminals accessing the network.

[0027] The aforementioned 5G base station energy-saving solutions have certain limitations: some solutions can only cope with one or two working states and lack flexibility; other solutions mainly rely on the identification of average power and cannot effectively capture and cope with the occurrence of peak power, cannot achieve accurate differentiation and adaptive adjustment between peak signals and average signals, have poor control effects, and have low efficiency of power amplification modules.

[0028] To address the aforementioned technical problems, the inventors propose the following technical concept: by collecting peak power and average power, the operation and amplification of the main amplifier and the peak amplifier are controlled using peak power and average power.

[0029] The technical solution of this application and how the technical solution of this application solves the above-mentioned technical problems are described in detail below with specific embodiments. These specific embodiments can be combined with each other, and the same or similar concepts or processes may not be described again in some embodiments. The embodiments of this application will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0030] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the power amplifier module provided in the embodiments of this application Figure 1 .like Figure 1 As shown, the power amplifier module 100 includes: a control unit 101, a power sampling unit 102, an input power distribution unit 103, a main amplifier 104, and a peak amplifier 105;

[0031] The input terminal of the power sampling unit 102 serves as the input terminal of the power amplification module. The output terminal of the power sampling unit 102 is connected to the input terminal of the input power distribution unit 103. The first output terminal of the input power distribution unit 103 is connected to the input terminal of the main amplifier 104. The second output terminal of the input power distribution unit 103 is connected to the input terminal of the peak amplifier 105. The third output terminal of the input power distribution unit 103, the output terminal of the main amplifier 104, and the output terminal of the peak amplifier 105 serve as the output terminals of the power amplification module.

[0032] The power sampling unit 102 collects the power of the signal at a preset sampling rate to obtain the power of N sampling points, where N is a positive integer; based on the power of the sampling points, the average power and peak power are determined.

[0033] Specifically, the power sampling unit 102 periodically collects the power of the signal at a preset sampling rate, thereby collecting the power of N sampling points in each period, determining the average power corresponding to these N sampling points, and the average power of the target sampling point with higher power among these N sampling points, to obtain the peak power.

[0034] The control unit 101 receives the average power and the peak power sent by the power sampling unit 102; based on the average power, it controls the input power distribution unit to output the signal from the third output terminal, input it into the main amplifier, or input it into the main amplifier and the peak amplifier according to the signal input ratio corresponding to the peak power.

[0035] The control unit 101 can be communicatively connected to the power sampling unit 102. The power sampling unit 102, by sampling at a rate of 122.88 Mbps within one subframe (1 ms), collects power data from 122,880 points. Using a complementary cumulative distribution function (CCDF) with a peak value of 0.01%, it calculates the average power and the peak power of points with power exceeding 99.99%. The peak-to-average power ratio is obtained by comparing the peak power with the average power. Specifically, this may include: if the power of any point is higher than the power of 99.99% of the points, then that point is determined as a peak point; the average power of all peak points is calculated to obtain the peak power; and the average power of all points is calculated to obtain the average power. It is worth noting that sampling rates other than those in the embodiments of this application can also be used for sampling, and other sampling frequencies are also within the scope of protection of this application.

[0036] When the average power is low, the control unit 101 directly inputs the signal to the post-processing unit for output. When the average power is slightly higher, the signal is input to the main amplifier, but the peak amplifier is turned off, and the main amplifier amplifies the signal. When the average power is even higher, the main amplifier cannot handle all signals. In this case, the peak amplifier is turned on, and the signal input ratio corresponding to the peak power is used to control the main amplifier and the peak amplifier to amplify the signal together. The amplified signal is then input to the post-processing unit for post-processing before output.

[0037] As can be seen from the description of the above embodiments, the embodiments of this disclosure sample and calculate the average power, and output the signal directly or input it into the main amplifier according to the magnitude of the average power, or input the signal into the main amplifier and the peak amplifier according to the signal input ratio corresponding to the peak power, so as to output the signal directly or output it after amplification. Since a signal amplification method adapted to the average power and peak power of the input signal is adopted, the working efficiency of the signal amplification module is increased and the energy consumption of the signal amplifier is reduced.

[0038] In one possible implementation, based on the average power, the input power distribution unit is controlled to output a signal from the third output terminal, input it to the main amplifier, or input it to the main amplifier and the peak amplifier according to the signal input ratio corresponding to the peak power, including:

[0039] If the average power is less than the first average power threshold, then disconnect the power supply to the main amplifier and the peak amplifier, and control the input power distribution unit to output the signal from the third output terminal;

[0040] Specifically, disconnecting the power supply to the main amplifier and the peak amplifier can be achieved by controlling the main amplifier and the amplifier power supply, the peak amplifier and the amplifier power supply, or by directly controlling the gate voltage of the amplifier to be turned off.

[0041] If the average power is greater than or equal to the first average power threshold, then based on the average power, the input power distribution unit controls the input power distribution unit to input the signal to the main amplifier or input the signal to the main amplifier and the peak amplifier according to the signal input ratio corresponding to the peak power.

[0042] Specifically, this can include inputting the signal into the main amplifier for amplification when the average power is greater than or equal to a first average power threshold but a peak amplifier is not required for signal amplification; and combining the peak amplifier for signal amplification when the average power requires the participation of the peak amplifier. When combining the peak amplifier for signal amplification, the peak power is used to calculate the signal input ratio, and the signal is input into the main amplifier and the peak amplifier using the signal input ratio.

[0043] As described in the above embodiments, this disclosure reduces the energy consumption of the main amplifier and peak amplifier when the average power is less than a first average power threshold, by directly outputting the signal and turning off the power to the main amplifier and peak amplifier, thus reducing the power requirement for low-power applications. When the average power is greater than or equal to the first average power threshold, the signal is input to the main amplifier, or the signal is input to the main amplifier and peak amplifier according to the signal input ratio corresponding to the peak power, thereby ensuring normal signal amplification and output while reducing the energy consumption of the signal amplification module.

[0044] In one possible implementation, based on the average power, controlling the input power distribution unit to input a signal to the main amplifier or to input a signal to the main amplifier and the peak amplifier according to the signal input ratio corresponding to the peak power includes:

[0045] If the average power is less than the second average power threshold, the power supply to the peak amplifier is disconnected, and the input power distribution unit is controlled to input the signal to the main amplifier, wherein the second average power threshold is greater than the first average power threshold.

[0046] Specifically, the second average power threshold can be pre-calibrated by the staff based on device parameters, experimental data, and empirical data. The method of disconnecting the power supply to the peak amplifier is similar to that described in the above embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0047] If the average power is greater than or equal to the second average power threshold, the signal input ratio is calculated based on the peak power; the control input power distribution unit inputs the signal to the main amplifier and the peak amplifier according to the signal input ratio.

[0048] Specifically, this can include a formula for calculating the peak power input signal ratio to obtain the signal input ratio. For example, if the calculated signal input ratio is 2:1, then one-third of the signal is input to the peak amplifier and two-thirds of the signal is input to the main amplifier.

[0049] The formula for calculating the signal input ratio can be preset by staff based on experimental data and device characteristic data.

[0050] As can be seen from the description of the above embodiments, the embodiments of this disclosure use only the main amplifier to amplify the signal when the average power is greater than or equal to the first average power threshold but less than the second average power threshold, and use both the main amplifier and the peak amplifier to amplify the signal when the average power is greater than the second average power threshold. This makes the working state of the signal amplification module match the power of the input signal, reduces the energy consumption of the peak amplifier, and increases the signal amplification efficiency.

[0051] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the power amplifier module provided in the embodiments of this application Figure 2 .like Figure 2 As shown, the power amplifier module 100 also includes:

[0052] The system includes a crest coefficient reduction unit 106, a digital predistortion unit 107, a digital-to-analog converter 108, a drive amplifier 109, and a post-processing unit 110.

[0053] The input terminal of the crest reduction unit 106 is the input terminal of the power amplification module. The output terminal of the crest reduction unit 106 is connected to the input terminal of the digital predistortion unit 107. The output terminal of the digital predistortion unit 107 is connected to the input terminal of the power sampling unit. The output terminal of the power sampling unit is connected to the input terminal of the digital-to-analog converter 108. The output terminal of the digital-to-analog converter 108 is connected to the input terminal of the drive amplifier 109. The output terminal of the drive amplifier 109 is connected to the input terminal of the input power distribution unit. The third output terminal of the input power distribution unit is connected to the first input terminal of the post-processing unit 110. The output terminal of the main amplifier is connected to the second input terminal of the post-processing unit 110. The output terminal of the peak amplifier is connected to the third input terminal of the post-processing unit 110.

[0054] The Crest Factor Reduction (CFR) unit 106 is used to reduce the dynamic range of the transmitted signal so that the amplifier used to transmit the signal can operate as close to its linear range as possible. The Digital Pre-Distortion (DPD) unit 107 is used to pre-distort the signal to improve the linearity of the amplifier and reduce distortion and interference.

[0055] Continue to refer to Figure 2 .like Figure 2 As shown, the post-processing unit 110 includes a coupler 1101 and a circulator 1102.

[0056] Coupler 1101 is used for power distribution and coupling, detecting the output power level of the power amplifier module, etc.

[0057] Circulator 1102 is used to enable unidirectional signal output and maintain the stability of output power, etc.

[0058] Continue to refer to Figure 2 .like Figure 2 As shown, the power amplifier module 100 also includes an analog-to-digital converter 111.

[0059] Analog-to-digital converter 111 is used to convert analog signals into digital signals. The input terminal of analog-to-digital converter 111 is connected to post-processing unit 110, specifically, the input terminal is connected to coupler 1102, and the output terminal is connected to digital predistortion unit 107.

[0060] In one possible implementation, the control unit periodically stores the signal input ratio as a historical input ratio; if linearity reduction information is received from the digital predistortion unit in any period, the historical input ratio of the previous period is used as the signal input ratio.

[0061] The linearity reduction information may include error messages output by the digital predistortion unit, which may be output after the digital predistortion unit detects that the linearity of the signal in any period has decreased by more than a preset amount compared to the linearity of the signal in the previous period. The period for storing the signal input ratio as the historical input ratio may be preset by the operator and may be greater than the iteration period of the amplification power control and the digital predistortion unit.

[0062] For example, if the signal input ratio calculated in the third cycle is "0.5:1" and the signal input ratio calculated in the fourth cycle is "0.7:1", and the control unit receives an error message from the digital predistortion unit in the fourth cycle, then the signal input ratio of "0.5:1" calculated in the third cycle will be used as the actual signal input ratio. As another example, if the signal input ratio calculated in the previous cycle is "0.8:1" and the signal input ratio calculated in this cycle is "0.6:1", and the control unit receives an error message from the digital predistortion unit in this cycle, then the signal input ratio of "0.8:1" from the previous cycle will be used as the actual signal input ratio.

[0063] As can be seen from the description of the above embodiments, the embodiments of this disclosure restore the signal input ratio to the signal input ratio of the previous cycle after the digital predistortion unit sends the linearity reduction information, thereby maintaining the linear output of the power amplifier module and ensuring the quality of the output signal.

[0064] In one possible implementation, in the above embodiments, calculating the signal input ratio based on the peak power includes:

[0065] The peak power is multiplied by the subsequent stage gain, and then subtracted from the preset main power amplifier output power to obtain the power difference. The subsequent stage gain is the total gain of all subsequent devices in the power sampling unit along the current propagation direction. The ratio of the power difference to the preset main power amplifier output power is determined as the signal input ratio, where the preset main power amplifier output power is the power of the main amplifier within the preset peak output power of the power amplification module.

[0066] Wherein, the direction of current transmission is as follows Figure 1 The direction indicated by the solid arrow (the direction indicated by the dashed arrow is the transmission direction of the average power, peak power sent by the power sampling unit, and the control signal sent by the control unit) indicates the gain of the subsequent stage. Figure 1 The gain in the input power distribution unit is the sum of the gain of the main amplifier and the gain of the peak amplifier. The output power of the main power amplifier can be the output power of the main amplifier when the output power of the power amplification module reaches the preset peak power.

[0067] Specifically, the process of calculating the signal input ratio in this embodiment can be expressed as the following formula:

[0068]

[0069] In the formula, Indicates peak power. This represents the preset peak power of the power amplifier module, α represents the ratio of the preset power entering the main amplifier to the peak power of the amplifier, and b represents the gain of the subsequent stage. The overall value represents the preset main amplifier output power.

[0070] As can be seen from the description of the above embodiments, the embodiments of this disclosure use the peak power collected by the power sampling unit to calculate the signal ratio of the input peak amplifier and the main amplifier in real time, so that the power amplification factor matches the peak power of the input signal and reduces the energy consumption of the power amplification unit.

[0071] In one possible implementation, the calculation process of the aforementioned first average power threshold includes:

[0072] The first gain difference is obtained by subtracting n times the common gain of the main amplifier and the peak amplifier from the average gain of the power amplifier module under full load, and then subtracting the subsequent gain of the main amplifier and the peak amplifier. The subsequent gain is the total gain of all devices following the current transmission direction of the power sampling unit, where n is greater than 1. The first gain difference is converted into power to obtain the first average power threshold.

[0073] Specifically, in Figure 1 In the power amplifier module shown, the gain of the stage after removing the main amplifier and peak amplifier is the gain of the input power distribution unit. Figure 2 In the power amplifier module shown, the gain of the main amplifier and peak amplifier is removed, leaving the common gain of the digital-to-analog converter, driver amplifier, and post-processing unit.

[0074] In one possible implementation, the calculation of the first gain difference can be expressed as the following formula:

[0075]

[0076] In the formula, This represents the first gain difference (in dBm). This represents the average output power (in W) of the power amplifier module under full load. This indicates the combined gain (in dB) of the main amplifier and the peak amplifier. This represents the gain (in dB) after removing the main amplifier and peak amplifier, and log represents taking the logarithm.

[0077] As can be seen from the description of the above embodiments, the embodiments of this disclosure obtain a first gain difference by subtracting the common gain of the main amplifier and peak amplifier n times from the average output power under full load, and removing the subsequent gain of the main amplifier and peak amplifier. After converting the first gain difference into units, a first average power threshold is obtained, indicating that the main amplifier and gain amplifier can be turned off when the output power does not require the main amplifier and peak amplifier to provide gain at all, or even when the gain of the main amplifier and peak amplifier is subtracted n times.

[0078] In one possible implementation, the calculation process for the second average power threshold includes:

[0079] The second gain difference is obtained by subtracting the preset maximum peak-to-average power ratio from the preset main power amplifier gain, and then subtracting the subsequent stage gain, wherein the subsequent stage gain is the total gain of all subsequent devices of the power sampling unit along the current transmission direction; the second gain difference is converted into power to obtain the second average power threshold.

[0080] In one possible implementation, the process of obtaining the second gain difference is shown in the following formula:

[0081]

[0082] In the formula, This represents the second gain difference (in dBm), and α represents the preset ratio of the power entering the main amplifier to the power of the peak amplifier. This indicates the preset peak power (in W) of the power amplifier module. The overall value represents the preset main amplifier gain. This indicates the preset maximum peak-to-average power ratio (in dB). This represents the gain of the subsequent stage, and log represents taking the logarithm.

[0083] As can be seen from the description of the above embodiments, in the embodiments of this disclosure, since the preset main amplifier gain is the maximum gain of the main amplifier, when the maximum gain of the main amplifier is subtracted from the maximum peak-to-average power ratio, and then the gain of the subsequent stage is subtracted, the resulting gain difference can still meet the needs of the power amplifier module (the actual gain required by the power amplifier module does not reach the second gain difference, or the actual power required by the power amplifier module does not reach the second average power threshold), the peak amplifier can be turned off and the main amplifier can amplify the signal, thereby realizing the shutdown of the peak amplifier when the actual power is less than the second average power threshold, reducing power consumption.

[0084] In one possible implementation, in the above embodiments, determining the average power and peak power based on the power at the sampling points includes:

[0085] If the power of the target sampling point is greater than the power of the sampling points of a preset proportion among all sampling points, then the target sampling point is determined as the peak sampling point, where the target sampling point can be any sampling point.

[0086] The preset ratio can be set by the staff. For example, if the power of sampling point A is greater than the power of 99% of all sampling points, then sampling point A is determined as the peak sampling point, where 99% is the preset ratio. As another example, if the power of sampling point B is greater than the power of 99.9% of all sampling points, then sampling point B is determined as the peak sampling point, where 99.9% is the preset ratio.

[0087] Calculate the average power of the peak sampling points to obtain the peak power.

[0088] Specifically, this can include summing the power of all peak sampling points and dividing by the number of peak sampling points to obtain the peak power.

[0089] Calculate the average power of the sampling points to obtain the average power.

[0090] Specifically, this can include summing the power of all sampling points and dividing by the number of sampling points to obtain the average power.

[0091] As can be seen from the description of the above embodiments, the embodiments of this disclosure determine the sampling points with higher power as peak sampling points, calculate the peak power corresponding to the peak sampling points and the average power corresponding to all sampling points, so as to facilitate the subsequent use of corresponding components to amplify or output the signal based on the peak power and average power.

[0092] Figure 3 This is a flowchart illustrating the control method for the power amplifier module provided in an embodiment of this application. The execution entity of this embodiment may be... Figure 1 The power amplification module in this embodiment is not particularly limited. The power amplification module includes: a control unit, a power sampling unit, an input power distribution unit, a main amplifier, and a peak amplifier; the input terminal of the power sampling unit serves as the input terminal of the power amplification module, the output terminal of the power sampling unit is connected to the input terminal of the input power distribution unit, the first output terminal of the input power distribution unit is connected to the input terminal of the main amplifier, the second output terminal of the input power distribution unit is connected to the input terminal of the peak amplifier, and the third output terminal of the input power distribution unit, the output terminal of the main amplifier, and the output terminal of the peak amplifier serve as the output terminals of the power amplification module; Figure 3 As shown, the method includes steps S301 to S304.

[0093] S301: The power sampling unit collects the power of the signal at a preset sampling rate to obtain the power of N sampling points, where N is a positive integer.

[0094] S302: Determine the average power and peak power based on the power of the sampling points.

[0095] S303: The control unit receives the average power and the peak power sent by the power sampling unit.

[0096] S304: Based on the average power, control the input power distribution unit to output the signal from the third output terminal, input it to the main amplifier, or input it to the main amplifier and the peak amplifier according to the signal input ratio corresponding to the peak power.

[0097] In one possible implementation, step S304 above, based on the average power, controls the input power distribution unit to output the signal from the third output terminal, input it into the main amplifier, or input it into the main amplifier and the peak amplifier according to the signal input ratio corresponding to the peak power, including steps S3041 and S3042.

[0098] S3041: If the average power is less than the first average power threshold, then disconnect the power supply of the main amplifier and the peak amplifier, and control the input power distribution unit to output the signal from the third output terminal;

[0099] S3042: If the average power is greater than or equal to the first average power threshold, then according to the average power, the input power distribution unit controls the input power distribution unit to input the signal to the main amplifier or input the signal to the main amplifier and the peak amplifier according to the signal input ratio corresponding to the peak power.

[0100] In one possible implementation, step S3042 above, controlling the input power distribution unit to input a signal to the main amplifier or input the signal to the main amplifier and the peak amplifier according to the average power or the signal input ratio corresponding to the peak power, includes steps S30421 and S30422.

[0101] S30421: If the average power is less than the second average power threshold, then disconnect the power supply of the peak amplifier and control the input power distribution unit to input the signal into the main amplifier, wherein the second average power threshold is greater than the first average power threshold.

[0102] S30422: If the average power is greater than or equal to the second average power threshold, then calculate the signal input ratio based on the peak power; control the input power distribution unit to input the signal into the main amplifier and the peak amplifier according to the signal input ratio.

[0103] In one possible implementation, step S30422 above, which calculates the signal input ratio based on the peak power, includes steps S2221 and S2222.

[0104] S2221: Multiply the peak power by the subsequent stage gain, and then subtract the preset main power amplifier output power to obtain the power difference, wherein the subsequent stage gain is the total gain of all subsequent devices of the power sampling unit along the current transmission direction.

[0105] S2222: The ratio of the power difference to the preset main power amplifier output power is determined as the signal input ratio, wherein the preset main power amplifier output power is the power of the main amplifier in the preset peak output power of the power amplification module.

[0106] In one possible implementation, the calculation process of the first average power threshold includes: using the preset average gain of the power amplifier module under full load, subtracting n times the common gain of the main amplifier and the peak amplifier, and then subtracting the subsequent stage gain other than the main amplifier and the peak amplifier to obtain a first gain difference, wherein the subsequent stage gain is the total gain of all subsequent devices of the power sampling unit along the current transmission direction, and n is greater than 1; converting the first gain difference into power to obtain the first average power threshold.

[0107] In one possible implementation, the calculation process for the second average power threshold includes:

[0108] The second gain difference is obtained by subtracting the preset maximum peak-to-average power ratio from the preset main amplifier gain and then subtracting the subsequent stage gain, wherein the subsequent stage gain is the total gain of all subsequent devices of the power sampling unit along the current transmission direction; the second gain difference is converted into power to obtain the second average power threshold.

[0109] In one possible implementation, step S302, determining the average power and peak power based on the power of the sampling points, includes steps S3021 to S3023.

[0110] S3021: If the power of the target sampling point is greater than the power of the preset proportion of sampling points among all sampling points, then the target sampling point is determined as the peak sampling point, wherein the target sampling point is any sampling point.

[0111] S3022: Calculate the average power of the peak sampling points to obtain the peak power.

[0112] S3023: Calculate the average power of the sampling points to obtain the average power.

[0113] In one possible implementation, the control method for the power amplifier module further includes steps S310 and S311.

[0114] S310: The control unit periodically stores the signal input ratio as a historical input ratio;

[0115] S311: If linearity reduction information is received from the digital predistortion unit in any cycle, the historical input ratio of the previous cycle is used as the signal input ratio.

[0116] Figure 4 This is a schematic flowchart illustrating the overall process of the control method for the power amplifier module provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 4 As shown, the overall flow of the control method for the power amplifier module includes:

[0117] S401: The power sampling unit acquires the power of the signal at a preset sampling rate, obtaining the power of N sampling points, where N is a positive integer.

[0118] S402: The power sampling unit determines the average power and peak power based on the power at the sampling points.

[0119] S403: The control unit receives the average power and peak power sent by the power sampling unit.

[0120] S404: If the average power is less than the first average power threshold, disconnect the power supply to the main amplifier and the peak amplifier, and control the input power distribution unit to output the signal from the third output terminal.

[0121] S405: If the average power is less than the second average power threshold, disconnect the power supply of the peak amplifier and control the input power distribution unit to input the signal to the main amplifier, wherein the second average power threshold is greater than the first average power threshold.

[0122] S406: If the average power is greater than or equal to the second average power threshold, the signal input ratio is calculated based on the peak power; the input power distribution unit is controlled to input the signal into the main amplifier and the peak amplifier according to the signal input ratio.

[0123] S407: The control unit periodically stores the signal input ratio as a historical input ratio; if linearity reduction information is received from the digital predistortion unit in any period, the historical input ratio of the previous period is used as the signal input ratio.

[0124] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a base station radio frequency unit provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 5 As shown, the base station radio frequency unit 500 includes: a housing 501 and a power amplifier module as described in any of the above embodiments, installed in the housing.

[0125] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of this application and an explanation of the technical principles employed. Those skilled in the art should understand that the scope of disclosure in this application is not limited to technical solutions formed by specific combinations of the above-described technical features, but should also cover other technical solutions formed by arbitrary combinations of the above-described technical features or their equivalents without departing from the above-described concept. For example, technical solutions formed by substituting the above features with (but not limited to) technical features with similar functions disclosed in this application.

[0126] Other embodiments of this application will readily occur to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the specification and practice of the invention disclosed herein. This application is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of this application that follow the general principles of this application and include common knowledge or customary techniques in the art not disclosed herein. The specification and examples are to be considered exemplary only, and the true scope and spirit of this application are indicated by the following claims.

[0127] It should be understood that this application is not limited to the precise structure described above and shown in the accompanying drawings, and various modifications and changes can be made without departing from its scope. The scope of this application is limited only by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A power amplifier module, characterized in that, include: Control unit, power sampling unit, input power distribution unit, main amplifier and peak amplifier; The input terminal of the power sampling unit serves as the input terminal of the power amplification module. The output terminal of the power sampling unit is connected to the input terminal of the input power distribution unit. The first output terminal of the input power distribution unit is connected to the input terminal of the main amplifier. The second output terminal of the input power distribution unit is connected to the input terminal of the peak amplifier. The third output terminal of the input power distribution unit, the output terminal of the main amplifier, and the output terminal of the peak amplifier serve as the output terminals of the power amplification module. The power sampling unit collects the power of the signal at a preset sampling rate to obtain the power of N sampling points, where N is a positive integer; Based on the power at the sampling points, determine the average power and peak power; The control unit receives the average power and the peak power sent by the power sampling unit; based on the average power, it controls the input power distribution unit to output the signal from the third output terminal, input it into the main amplifier, or input it into the main amplifier and the peak amplifier according to the signal input ratio corresponding to the peak power.

2. The power amplifier module according to claim 1, characterized in that, The step of controlling the input power distribution unit to output a signal from the third output terminal, input it to the main amplifier, or input it to the main amplifier and the peak amplifier according to the signal input ratio corresponding to the peak power, based on the average power, includes: If the average power is less than the first average power threshold, then disconnect the power supply to the main amplifier and the peak amplifier, and control the input power distribution unit to output the signal from the third output terminal; If the average power is greater than or equal to the first average power threshold, then based on the average power, the input power distribution unit controls the input power distribution unit to input the signal to the main amplifier or input the signal to the main amplifier and the peak amplifier according to the signal input ratio corresponding to the peak power.

3. The power amplifier module according to claim 2, characterized in that, The step of controlling the input power distribution unit to input a signal to the main amplifier or to input a signal to the main amplifier and the peak amplifier according to the average power or the signal input ratio corresponding to the peak power includes: If the average power is less than the second average power threshold, the power supply to the peak amplifier is disconnected, and the input power distribution unit is controlled to input the signal to the main amplifier, wherein the second average power threshold is greater than the first average power threshold. If the average power is greater than or equal to the second average power threshold, then the signal input ratio is calculated based on the peak power; and the input power distribution unit is controlled to input the signal into the main amplifier and the peak amplifier at the signal input ratio.

4. The power amplifier module according to claim 3, characterized in that, The step of calculating the signal input ratio based on the peak power includes: The peak power is multiplied by the subsequent stage gain, and then the preset main power amplifier output power is subtracted to obtain the power difference, wherein the subsequent stage gain is the total gain of all subsequent devices of the power sampling unit along the current transmission direction. The ratio of the power difference to the preset main power amplifier output power is determined as the signal input ratio, wherein the preset main power amplifier output power is the power of the main amplifier in the preset peak output power of the power amplification module.

5. The power amplifier module according to any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that, The calculation process for the first average power threshold includes: The first gain difference is obtained by subtracting n times the common gain of the main amplifier and the peak amplifier from the average gain of the power amplifier module under full load, and then subtracting the gain of the subsequent stage other than the main amplifier and the peak amplifier. The gain of the subsequent stage is the total gain of all subsequent devices of the power sampling unit in the direction of current transmission, and n is greater than 1. The first gain difference is converted into power to obtain the first average power threshold.

6. The power amplifier module according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that, The calculation process for the second average power threshold includes: The second gain difference is obtained by subtracting the preset maximum peak-to-average power ratio from the preset main amplifier gain and then subtracting the subsequent stage gain, wherein the subsequent stage gain is the total gain of all subsequent devices of the power sampling unit along the current transmission direction; the second gain difference is converted into power to obtain the second average power threshold.

7. The power amplifier module according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The step of determining the average power and peak power based on the power at the sampling points includes: If the power of the target sampling point is greater than the power of the sampling points of a preset proportion among all sampling points, then the target sampling point is determined as the peak sampling point, wherein the target sampling point is any sampling point; Calculate the average power of the peak sampling points to obtain the peak power; Calculate the average power of the sampling points to obtain the average power.

8. The power amplifier module according to claim 1, characterized in that, The power amplifier module further includes: Crest factor reduction unit, digital predistortion unit, digital-to-analog converter, drive amplifier and post-processing unit; The input terminal of the crest reduction unit is the input terminal of the power amplification module. The output terminal of the crest reduction unit is connected to the input terminal of the digital predistortion unit. The output terminal of the digital predistortion unit is connected to the input terminal of the power sampling unit. The output terminal of the power sampling unit is connected to the input terminal of the digital-to-analog converter. The output terminal of the digital-to-analog converter is connected to the input terminal of the driver amplifier. The output terminal of the driver amplifier is connected to the input terminal of the input power distribution unit. The third output terminal of the input power distribution unit is connected to the first input terminal of the post-processing unit. The output terminal of the main amplifier is connected to the second input terminal of the post-processing unit. The output terminal of the peak amplifier is connected to the third input terminal of the post-processing unit.

9. The power amplifier module according to claim 8, characterized in that, The control unit periodically stores the signal input ratio as a historical input ratio; if linearity reduction information is received from the digital predistortion unit in any period, the historical input ratio of the previous period is used as the signal input ratio.

10. A control method for a power amplifier module, characterized in that, Applied to a power amplifier module; the power amplifier module includes: Control unit, power sampling unit, input power distribution unit, main amplifier and peak amplifier; The input terminal of the power sampling unit serves as the input terminal of the power amplification module. The output terminal of the power sampling unit is connected to the input terminal of the input power distribution unit. The first output terminal of the input power distribution unit is connected to the input terminal of the main amplifier. The second output terminal of the input power distribution unit is connected to the input terminal of the peak amplifier. The third output terminal of the input power distribution unit, the output terminal of the main amplifier, and the output terminal of the peak amplifier serve as the output terminals of the power amplification module. The power sampling unit collects the power of the signal at a preset sampling rate to obtain the power of N sampling points, where N is a positive integer; based on the power of the sampling points, the average power and peak power are determined. The control unit receives the average power and the peak power sent by the power sampling unit; based on the average power, it controls the input power distribution unit to output the signal from the third output terminal, input it into the main amplifier, or input it into the main amplifier and the peak amplifier according to the signal input ratio corresponding to the peak power.

11. A base station radio frequency unit, characterized in that, include: The housing and the power amplifier module as described in any one of claims 1 to 9, mounted in the housing.

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