Power supply modulator and wireless communication device including the same

Abstract

A power modulator and a wireless communication device including the power modulator are provided. The power modulator includes: a linear regulator; a switching regulator; and a mode-based connection circuit. The mode-based connection circuit includes: a coupling circuit configured to reduce an output signal of the linear regulator by a target coupling voltage in an envelope tracking modulation mode; and a coupling voltage management circuit configured to monitor a coupling voltage of the coupling circuit in another modulation mode, and selectively apply a voltage to the coupling voltage based on a monitoring result so that the coupling voltage is maintained at the target coupling voltage.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims the priority of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2019-0000859 filed on January 3, 2019 in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Technical Field

[0003] One or more example embodiments relate to a power modulator for a wireless communication device in a wireless communication system and a wireless communication device including the power modulator. Background Art

[0004] In wireless communication devices (especially portable terminals) where battery power consumption is important, efficient radio frequency (RF) / analog power amplifiers for long battery life are required. Recently, wireless communication has evolved into the next generation of communication technology, requiring technology that can achieve high efficiency characteristics even under high peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) characteristics. Due to the development of next generation communication technology, terminal hardware that can support high linearity and wide bandwidth is required. Therefore, RF / analog power amplifiers for wireless communication devices are needed to meet all the above requirements, but due to the limitations of process and circuit structure, it is difficult to meet all requirements.

[0005] As the PAPR of the input signal increases, the efficiency of the RF power amplifier (or RF PA) decreases. However, the high PAPR characteristics require a high 1-dB gain compression point (P1dB) and saturation power of the RF power amplifier, so the existing RF power amplifiers that operate using a fixed power supply such as a battery have low power efficiency in both the peak power region and the back-off power region. Therefore, in order to improve the low power efficiency characteristics in the back-off power region, an average power tracking (APT) technology for adjusting the power supply voltage while tracking the average power has been developed. However, when the APT technology is adopted, the power supply voltage cannot immediately follow the envelope signal, so the RF power amplifier has additional power loss. The technology developed to compensate for this power loss is the envelope tracking (ET) technology. ET technology is one of the technologies for improving the efficiency of the RF power amplifier, and improves the power efficiency characteristics of the RF power amplifier while instantaneously following the input envelope signal. Therefore, in order to apply the ET technology to the RF power amplifier, a power modulator for normalizing the battery power to the envelope signal is required.

[0006] The power modulator needs to have both high bandwidth and high efficiency, and for this purpose, a hybrid structure of a combination of a switching regulator and a linear regulator including a linear amplifier is generally used. However, when this hybrid structure is used, it is difficult to maintain the voltage of both terminals of a coupling circuit connected between the linear regulator and the switching regulator at a certain level due to a floating state, surrounding noise, etc., and therefore, an effective modulation operation cannot be performed. Summary of the invention

[0007] One or more example embodiments provide a power modulator capable of efficiently using power and improving performance of a modulation operation, and a wireless communication device including the same.

[0008] According to one aspect of an exemplary embodiment, a power modulator is provided, comprising: a linear regulator; a switching regulator; and a mode-based connection circuit. The mode-based connection circuit comprises: a coupling circuit configured to reduce an output signal of the linear regulator by a target coupling voltage in an envelope tracking (ET) modulation mode; and a coupling voltage management circuit configured to monitor a coupling voltage of the coupling circuit in another modulation mode, and selectively apply a voltage to the coupling voltage based on a monitoring result so that the coupling voltage is maintained at the target coupling voltage.

[0009] According to an aspect of an example embodiment, a power modulator operating in multiple modulation modes is provided, the power modulator comprising: a linear regulator configured to output an envelope signal in an envelope tracking (ET) modulation mode; a switching regulator configured to output a direct current (DC) signal in the ET modulation mode or an average power tracking (APT) modulation mode; a coupling circuit configured to reduce an output signal of the linear regulator by a target coupling voltage by coupling an alternating current (AC) signal of an envelope signal from the linear regulator in the ET modulation mode; and a coupling voltage management circuit configured to selectively apply a voltage to at least one of a first terminal and a second terminal of the coupling circuit in a modulation mode other than the ET modulation mode to maintain a coupling voltage of the coupling circuit at a target coupling voltage.

[0010] According to one aspect of an example embodiment, a wireless communication device is provided, including a power modulator, a modem, and a radio frequency (RF) power amplifier. The power modulator includes a linear regulator, a switching regulator, and a coupling circuit connected between an output terminal of the linear regulator and an output terminal of the switching regulator, the power modulator is configured to operate in multiple modulation modes, and in an envelope tracking (ET) modulation mode, a target coupling voltage is applied across a first terminal and a second terminal of the coupling circuit. The modem is configured to control the modulation mode of the power modulator. The RF power amplifier is configured to amplify an RF signal based on a voltage supplied from the power modulator, and output an amplified RF signal. The power modulator is configured to monitor a voltage across a first terminal and a second terminal of the coupling circuit in at least one modulation mode other than the ET modulation mode, and selectively apply a voltage to the coupling circuit based on the result of the monitoring so that the voltage across the coupling circuit has a target coupling voltage. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] These and / or other aspects will become apparent and more readily understood through the following description of the embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0012] Figure 1 is a block diagram of a wireless communication device including a power modulator according to an example embodiment;

[0013] Figure 2 According to an example embodiment Figure 1 A flow chart of the operation of the coupling voltage management circuit;

[0014] Figure 3 is a block diagram of a power supply modulator according to an example embodiment;

[0015] Figure 4 is a diagram for describing the operation of a power modulator in an envelope tracking (ET) modulation mode and an average power tracking (APT) modulation mode;

[0016] Figure 5A is a block diagram of the power modulator in ET modulation mode;

[0017] Figure 5B is a block diagram of the power modulator in APT modulation mode;

[0018] Fig. 6A , Figure 6B and Figure 6C is a timing diagram for describing the effect of a power supply modulator according to an example embodiment;

[0019] Figure 7 is a block diagram of a coupling voltage management circuit according to an example embodiment;

[0020] Figure 8is a flow chart of the operation of a coupling voltage management circuit according to an example embodiment;

[0021] Fig. 9A is a diagram for describing a switch control condition of a coupling voltage management circuit according to an example embodiment;

[0022] Fig. 9B Is able to execute Fig. 9A A circuit diagram of an example of an operation of a coupled voltage management circuit;

[0023] Fig.10 is a block diagram of the power modulator in standby mode;

[0024] Fig.11A and Fig. 11B is a block diagram of a coupling voltage management circuit according to an example embodiment; and

[0025] Fig.12 is a block diagram of a wireless communication device according to an example embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] Hereinafter, example embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0027] Figure 1 is a block diagram of a wireless communication device 1 including a power modulator 100 according to an example embodiment.

[0028] Reference Figure 1 , the wireless communication device 1 may include a modem 10, a radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC) 20, an RF power amplifier 30, and a power modulator 100. The modem 10 may provide a transmission signal including information to be transmitted to the RFIC 20. The modem 10 may provide an envelope signal generated by amplitude modulating the transmission signal to the power modulator 100. In this case, the power modulator 100 may operate in a plurality of modulation modes, and the modem 10 may provide a modulation mode control signal for modulation mode control to the power modulator 100.

[0029] The RFIC 20 may output an RF signal by modulating the transmission signal into a carrier of the system frequency band, and the RF power amplifier 30 may amplify the RF signal to an appropriate power level and transmit the amplified RF signal to another wireless communication device, a base station, etc. through the antenna 40 .

[0030] According to an embodiment, the power modulator 100 can modulate the voltage of the power source (e.g., the internal power source of the wireless communication device 1) according to a set modulation mode through a process of amplifying and normalizing the envelope signal input from the modem 10, and provide the modulated voltage to the RF power amplifier 30. The power modulator 100 can control the fixed power voltage provided from the internal power source (e.g., a battery) of the wireless communication device 1 according to the envelope signal, so that the power modulator 100 and the RF power amplifier 30 have optimal linearity and energy efficiency.

[0031] In order to support a variety of modulation modes, the power modulator 100 may include a linear regulator 110, a switching regulator 120, and a mode-based connection circuit 130. According to an example embodiment, for example, the modulation mode may include, but is not limited to, an average power tracking (APT) modulation mode, an envelope tracking (ET) modulation mode, a standby mode, etc. Hereinafter, it will be mainly described that the power modulator 100 supports the APT modulation mode, the ET modulation mode, and the standby mode, but this is only an example embodiment, and the power modulator 100 is not limited thereto, and may support more modulation modes.

[0032] The power modulator 100 may have a hybrid structure of a combination of a linear regulator 110 and a switching regulator 120, and the outputs of the linear regulator 110 and the switching regulator 120 may be combined and provided as a power supply voltage for the RF power amplifier 30. The linear regulator 110 may ensure high output accuracy of the RF power amplifier 30 with respect to the power supply voltage by tracking the high frequency region of the envelope signal, and the switching regulator 120 may track the low frequency region of the envelope signal to provide a wide range of output voltages. Each of the linear regulator 110 and the switching regulator 120 may be enabled / disabled according to a modulation mode of the power modulator 100, and the mode-based connection circuit 130 may control the connection between the linear regulator 110 and the switching regulator 120 according to the modulation mode. Reference will be made to Figure 5A and Figure 5B etc. to describe in detail the structure and operation of the mode-based connection circuit 130.

[0033] The mode-based connection circuit 130 may include a coupling circuit (not shown) configured to reduce the output signal of the linear regulator 110 by a desired coupling voltage (hereinafter, the desired coupling voltage is referred to as a target coupling voltage) by coupling an alternating current (AC) signal from the output signal of the linear regulator 110 in the ET modulation mode of the power modulator 100. In the related art, it is difficult for the coupling circuit to maintain the coupling voltage of both terminals of the coupling circuit to the target coupling voltage due to various reasons such as changes in circuit connection and noise that occurs when the power modulator 100 is switched from the ET modulation mode to another modulation mode. Therefore, when the power modulator 100 is switched to the ET modulation mode, it takes a certain time until the coupling voltage of the coupling circuit approaches the target coupling voltage, which has a negative impact on the output signal of the linear regulator 110, and therefore, it is difficult for the power modulator 100 to smoothly operate in the ET modulation mode.

[0034] In order to prevent these problems, according to an example embodiment, the mode-based connection circuit 130 may include a coupling voltage management circuit 135 to perform control so that the coupling voltage of the coupling circuit is maintained as a target coupling voltage even in a modulation mode other than the ET modulation mode. The coupling voltage management circuit 135 may be implemented differently according to a circuit configuration of the mode-based connection circuit 130 configured to control the connection between the linear regulator 110 and the switching regulator 120 according to the modulation mode. The coupling voltage management circuit 135 may perform an operation of selectively applying a voltage to two terminals of the coupling circuit so that the coupling voltage of the coupling circuit is maintained as a target coupling voltage in a modulation mode other than the ET modulation mode.

[0035] According to an example embodiment, the coupling voltage management circuit 135 may monitor the coupling voltage of the coupling circuit by connecting to two terminals of the coupling circuit. That is, the coupling voltage management circuit 135 may continuously monitor whether the coupling voltage of the coupling circuit is maintained at or close to the target coupling voltage in a modulation mode other than the ET modulation mode, and perform a selective voltage application operation on the coupling circuit based on the monitoring result.

[0036] For example, in a modulation mode other than the ET modulation mode (e.g., the APT modulation mode), the coupling voltage management circuit 135 may apply a first voltage to the first terminal of the coupling circuit by stepping down the coupling voltage when the coupling voltage of the coupling circuit is higher than the target coupling voltage, so that the coupling voltage of the coupling circuit approaches the target coupling voltage, and may apply a second voltage to the first terminal of the coupling circuit by stepping up the coupling voltage when the coupling voltage is lower than the target coupling voltage, so that the coupling voltage of the coupling circuit approaches the target coupling voltage. That is, the coupling voltage management circuit 135 may selectively apply different voltages to the same terminal of the coupling circuit, so that the coupling voltage of the coupling circuit is maintained at the target coupling voltage.

[0037] As another example, in another modulation mode other than the ET modulation mode (e.g., the standby mode), the coupling voltage management circuit 135 may apply a third voltage to a first terminal of the coupling circuit and a fourth voltage to a second terminal of the coupling circuit so that the coupling voltage of the coupling circuit is close to the target coupling voltage. That is, the coupling voltage management circuit 135 may apply different voltages to different terminals of the coupling circuit so that the coupling voltage of the coupling circuit is maintained at (or close to) the target coupling voltage. The first to fourth voltages may have the same or different voltage levels, respectively, and may be implemented differently depending on the voltage provided to the power modulator 100. Referring to Figure 7 etc. for detailed description of the first to fourth voltages. Hereinafter, the standby mode of the power modulator 100 may be a mode for preparing for operation in another modulation mode (e.g., ET modulation mode or APT modulation mode). For example, the power modulator 100 may operate in the standby mode at a time point close to the time point when the wireless communication device 1 switches from the power-off state to the power-on state or when no RF signal is output through the RF power amplifier 30.

[0038] As described above, according to example embodiments, the coupling voltage management circuit 135 may perform different voltage applying operation methods according to the type of modulation mode other than the ET modulation mode to maintain the coupling voltage of the coupling circuit as the target coupling voltage.

[0039] According to an example embodiment, the coupling voltage management circuit 135 can manage the coupling circuit of the power modulator 100 that supports multiple modulation modes so that the coupling circuit has a target coupling voltage in advance, thereby allowing efficient use of power and improving modulation performance at the same time when the power modulator 100 performs a power modulation operation based on the ET modulation mode.

[0040] Figure 2 According to an example embodiment Figure 1 Flowchart of the operation of the coupling voltage management circuit 135.

[0041] Reference Figure 1 and Figure 2 , when the power modulator 100 is in a certain modulation mode, the coupling voltage management circuit 135 may monitor the coupling voltage of the coupling circuit. In detail, in operation S100, the coupling voltage management circuit 135 may monitor the voltages (or coupling voltages) of the two terminals of the coupling circuit by being connected to the two terminals of the coupling circuit. According to an example embodiment, the coupling voltage management circuit 135 may monitor the coupling voltage of the coupling circuit in at least one modulation mode other than the ET modulation mode. The modulation mode in which the coupling voltage management circuit 135 monitors the coupling voltage of the coupling circuit may be preset. For example, the modulation mode in which the coupling voltage is monitored may be set to the APT modulation mode or the standby mode.

[0042] In operation S120, the coupling voltage management circuit 135 may perform management for maintaining the coupling voltage of the coupling circuit at the target coupling voltage based on the monitoring result. However, according to example embodiments, the coupling voltage management circuit 135 may not monitor the coupling voltage of the coupling circuit in a certain modulation mode (e.g., standby mode), and may apply a certain voltage to one or both terminals of the coupling circuit without the monitoring result to control the voltages of the two terminals of the coupling circuit so that the voltages of the two terminals of the coupling circuit are close to the target coupling voltage.

[0043] Figure 3 is a block diagram of a power supply modulator 200 according to an example embodiment.

[0044] Reference Figure 3 , the power modulator 200 may include a linear regulator 210, a switching regulator 220, and a mode-based connection circuit 230. The mode-based connection circuit 230 may include a coupling circuit 231, a direct current (DC) detection circuit 232, combiners 233 and 235, a buffer 234 (the "-1" used in the buffer 234 indicates a buffer configured to provide negative feedback), a multiplexer 236, and a coupling voltage management circuit 240. The configuration of the DC detection circuit 232, combiners 233 and 235, buffer 234, and multiplexer 236 for ET modulation operation is only an example embodiment, and thus, the power modulator 200 is not limited thereto and may be implemented by various circuit configurations to perform an effective ET modulation operation.

[0045] in addition, Figure 3 The embodiments shown in the embodiment are only illustrative, and thus, example embodiments are not limited thereto, and the mode-based connection circuit 230 may be implemented by various circuit configurations to support a variety of modulation modes by using the linear regulator 210 and the switching regulator 220. Hereinafter, for the purpose of explanation, the following will mainly describe Figure 3 Although the configuration of the power modulator 200 is shown in FIG. 2 , it will be apparent that the configuration and operation of the coupling voltage management circuit 240 according to example embodiments may be applied to configurations of different implementations of the power modulator 200 .

[0046] The mode-based connection circuit 230 may be connected to the output terminal of the linear regulator 210 and the input terminal and the output terminal of the switching regulator 220. In detail, the mode-based connection circuit 230 may be connected to the output terminal of the linear regulator 210 and the input terminal and the output terminal of the switching regulator 220 through the first node N 1 The linear regulator 210 is connected to the output terminal of the linear regulator 210 and the first terminal of the coupling circuit 231 at the first node N 1 In addition, the mode-based connection circuit 230 can be connected through the second node N 2 The output terminal of the multiplexer 236 is connected to the switching regulator 220, and the output terminal of the switching regulator 220 and the second terminal of the coupling circuit 231 are connected at the second node N 2 According to an example embodiment, the coupling circuit 231 may include a coupling capacitor C C , and the first terminal and the second terminal of the coupling circuit 231 can be connected to the DC detection circuit 232 and the coupling voltage management circuit 240, respectively. For example, in the ET modulation mode, the linear regulator 210 can be from the modem (e.g., Figure 1 10) receiving a first envelope signal V ET_IN , the switching regulator 220 may receive the signal generated in the mode-based connection circuit 230 through the multiplexer 236. As another example, in the APT modulation mode, the switching regulator 220 may receive the second envelope signal V from the modem through the multiplexer 236. APT_IN . We will then refer to Figure 5A and Figure 5B A detailed description of the mode-based connection circuit 230 is provided for each modulation mode.

[0047] The linear regulator 210 can receive a first power supply voltage V IN1 , whose level has been determined by wireless communication devices (e.g. Figure 1 The power modulator 200 may also include a circuit configured to generate a first power supply voltage V IN1 The switching regulator 220 may receive the voltage of the internal power supply of the wireless communication device as the second power supply voltage V IN2 According to an example embodiment, the first power supply voltage V IN1 The level of the second power supply voltage V IN2However, this is only an example embodiment, and therefore, the first power supply voltage V IN1 and the second power supply voltage V IN2 The method may vary according to the configuration of the power modulator 200 or the configuration of the wireless communication device.

[0048] The coupling voltage management circuit 240 can be connected to the first node N 1 and the second node N 2 is connected to the coupling circuit 231. Although Figure 3 The coupling voltage management circuit 240 is shown to be connected to the coupling circuit 231 through two lines, but this is only illustrative, and the coupling voltage management circuit 240 may be connected to the coupling circuit 231 through more than two lines. According to an example embodiment, the coupling voltage management circuit 240 may be connected to the coupling circuit 231 through a line for monitoring the coupling voltage of the coupling circuit 231 and a line for controlling the coupling voltage to be maintained at or close to a target coupling voltage.

[0049] Will then refer to Figure 5A and Figure 5B A detailed description will be made of an operation of selectively applying a voltage to the coupling circuit 231 through the coupling voltage management circuit 240 to allow the coupling circuit 231 to have a target coupling voltage.

[0050] Figure 4 is a diagram for describing the operation of the power modulator in the ET modulation mode ET_mode and the APT modulation mode APT_mode.

[0051] Reference Figure 1 and Figure 4 The power modulator 100 can instantaneously track the RF signal RF input to the RF power amplifier 30 in the ET modulation mode ET_mode. OUT The power modulator 100 can track the RF signal RF input to the RF power amplifier 30 in the APT modulation mode APT_mode. OUTThe average power in a certain period of time, and provide the generated second power supply voltage to the RF power amplifier 30 as a tracking result. That is, the power modulator 100 can operate in the ET modulation mode ET_mode or the APT modulation mode APT_mode according to the communication environment, the amount of data included in the RF signal, etc., and can also operate in the standby mode to prepare for the operation in the ET modulation mode ET_mode or the APT modulation mode APT_mode. In this case, the coupling voltage management circuit 135 can manage the coupling voltage of the coupling circuit in a modulation mode other than the ET modulation mode ET_mode, so that the power modulator 100 in the ET modulation mode ET_mode can perform accurate power modulation operation. However, this is only an example embodiment, and therefore, the power modulator 100 can operate in more modulation modes.

[0052] Figure 5A is a block diagram of the power supply modulator 200 in the ET modulation mode, Figure 5B is a block diagram of the power modulator 200 in the APT modulation mode. Figure 3 The configuration of the power modulator 200 is described, so the operation of the power modulator 200 according to various modulation modes will be mainly described hereinafter.

[0053] Reference Figure 5A In the ET modulation mode, the linear regulator 210 may receive the first envelope signal V ET_IN , by using the first power supply voltage V IN1 To amplify the first envelope signal V ET_IN , and the amplified first envelope signal V ET_IN Output to the mode-based connection circuit 230. The coupling voltage of the coupling circuit 231 can maintain the target coupling voltage V in the ET modulation mode. TG , and the coupling circuit 231 may only couple the 1 The AC signal received from the output signal of the linear regulator 210 is coupled to the second node N 2 In addition, based on the configuration of the combiner 233 and the combiner 235 and the buffer 234, the mode-based connection circuit 230 can detect the target coupling voltage V by using the output signal of the linear regulator 210 and the DC detection circuit 232. TG and comparison voltage V AC_REF To generate an output signal for controlling the switching regulator 220. The output signal generated by the mode-based connection circuit 230 can be provided to the switching regulator 220 through the multiplexer 236, and the switching regulator 220 can be controlled by using the second power supply voltage V IN2 To amplify the received signal and output the amplified signal to the second node N2 That is, the mode-based connection circuit 230 may combine a signal obtained by coupling only the AC signal of the output signal from the linear regulator 210 with the signal output from the switching regulator 220 and output the combined signal as the power supply voltage V OUT Output to an RF power modulator (e.g. Figure 1 of 30).

[0054] Reference Figure 5B In the APT modulation mode, the linear regulator 210 is in a disabled state, and the DC detection circuit 232, the combiners 233 and 235, and the buffer 234 can also be disabled by the multiplexer 236. Disabled can mean a state that is not used (or not selected) in a modulation operation based on a certain modulation mode. The multiplexer 236 can select the modem (e.g., Figure 1 10) receiving a second envelope signal V APT_IN , and the received second envelope signal V APT_IN Output to the switching regulator 220. The switching regulator 220 can amplify the second envelope signal V APT_IN , and through the second node N 2 The amplified second envelope signal V APT_IN Output to an RF power modulator (e.g. Figure 1 of 30).

[0055] Since the linear regulator 210 is disabled, if the configuration of the coupling voltage management circuit 240 is not provided, the first node N 1 will float, so it is difficult to adjust the coupling voltage V of the coupling circuit 231 due to various reasons such as ambient noise. AC Maintain the target coupling voltage (e.g. Figure 5A V TG ). If the coupling voltage V of the coupling circuit 231 is not AC When the power modulator 200 switches back to the ET modulation mode, the coupling voltage V of the coupling circuit 231 needs to be maintained at the target coupling voltage. AC The time close to the target coupling voltage, during which the ET modulation operation is not smoothly performed. FIG. 6A to FIG. 6C Describe the problem in detail.

[0056] According to an example embodiment, the coupling voltage management circuit 240 may monitor the coupling voltage V of the coupling circuit 231. AC , and based on the monitoring result, execute the operation for setting the coupling voltage V AC Maintain the target coupling voltage (e.g. Figure 5A V TG) management operation. In detail, the coupling voltage management circuit 240 can AC By comparing with the comparison voltage (eg, a voltage having the same level as the target coupling voltage), the coupling voltage management circuit 240 may adjust the coupling voltage according to the coupling voltage V AC The level of each of the voltages having different levels is selectively applied to one terminal or the first node N of the coupling circuit 231. 1 For example, when the coupling voltage V AC When the voltage is higher than the comparison voltage, the coupling voltage management circuit 240 may apply the first voltage to the first node N 1 The coupling voltage V AC When the coupling voltage V AC When the voltage is lower than the comparison voltage, the coupling voltage management circuit 240 may apply the second voltage to the first node N 1 , to convert the coupling voltage V AC Boost to comparison voltage.

[0057] According to an example embodiment, the first voltage may be equal to the output voltage of the switching regulator 220 or the second power supply voltage V provided to the switching regulator 220. IN2 That is, the coupling voltage management circuit 240 can be implemented as a switching regulator 220 from the second node N 2 The output voltage is applied to the first node N 1 , or the second power supply voltage V IN2 Applied to the first node N 1 The output voltage level of the switching regulator 220 can be the same as the second power supply voltage V IN2 The coupling voltage management circuit 240 can be implemented as a first node N 1 A voltage having a level at which further coupling voltage management can be performed is applied. However, this is merely an example embodiment, and thus, the coupling voltage management circuit 240 is not limited thereto, and the coupling voltage management circuit 240 may also include a DC-DC converter configured to directly modulate the wireless communication device (e.g., Figure 1 1) of the internal power supply to generate a voltage suitable for coupling voltage management.

[0058] Until the power modulator 200 switches from the APT modulation mode to the ET modulation mode, the coupling voltage management circuit 240 may continuously monitor the coupling voltage V AC , and manage the coupling voltage V based on the monitoring results AC operation.

[0059] FIG. 6A to FIG. 6C is a timing chart for describing the effect of the power supply modulator to which the exemplary embodiment is applied.

[0060] Reference Figure 3 and Fig. 6A , when the power modulator 200 switches from the first ET modulation mode ET_mode_1 to the APT modulation mode APT_mode without including the coupling voltage management circuit 240 according to the example embodiment, the coupling voltage V as the voltage of the two terminals of the coupling circuit 231 AC In response to the first node N 1 The floating state is reduced and is lower than the target coupling voltage V TG When the power modulator 200 switches from the APT modulation mode APT_mode to the second ET modulation mode ET_mode_2, the first power supply voltage V provided to the linear regulator 210 IN1 Limitations may occur where the output signal V of the linear regulator 210 OUT_LA Therefore, the power modulation performance of the power modulator 200 may be degraded in the second ET modulation mode ET_mode_2.

[0061] Reference Figure 3 and Figure 6B , when the power modulator 200 switches from the first ET modulation mode ET_mode_1 to the APT modulation mode APT_mode without including the coupling voltage management circuit 240 according to the example embodiment, the coupling voltage V as the voltage of the two terminals of the coupling circuit 231 AC In response to the first node N 1 The floating state is boosted and is higher than the target coupling voltage V TG When the power modulator 200 switches from the APT modulation mode APT_mode to the second ET modulation mode ET_mode_2, due to the limitation of the ground voltage 0V provided to the linear regulator 210, the output signal V OUT_LA Therefore, the power modulation performance of the power modulator 200 may be degraded in the second ET modulation mode ET_mode_2.

[0062] Reference Figure 3 and Figure 6C In order to solve the above-described problem, the coupling voltage management circuit 240 according to the exemplary embodiment performs the coupling voltage V as the voltage of the two terminals of the coupling circuit 231 in the APT modulation mode APT_mode. AC Maintain the target coupling voltage V TG management operations, therefore, Fig. 6A and Figure 6B Different from the example of FIG. 1 , the power modulator 200 can smoothly perform the power modulation operation in the second ET modulation mode ET_mode_2.

[0063] Figure 7 2 is a block diagram of a coupling voltage management circuit 240 according to an example embodiment. In the following, it is assumed that the coupling circuit is composed of a coupling capacitor C C In the embodiment, the power supply modulator operates in the APT modulation mode. However, this is for illustrative purposes only, and example embodiments are not limited thereto.

[0064] Reference Figure 7 The coupling voltage management circuit 240 may include a DC detection circuit 241, a control circuit 242, and a first switch element SW 1 and the second switching element SW 2 The DC detection circuit 241 may be a circuit included separately by the coupling voltage management circuit 240 and may be used together with the coupling voltage management circuit 240. Figure 3 That is, when the power modulator (e.g., Figure 3 200) when operating in ET modulation mode, Figure 3 The DC detection circuit 232 can be used for modulation operation. When the power modulator operates in the APT modulation mode, Figure 3 The DC detection circuit 232 can be used for coupling voltage management operation. The DC detection circuit 241 can be connected to the coupling capacitor C C The two terminals (or the first node N 1 and the second node N 2 ) to detect the coupling capacitor C C The coupling voltage V AC . Already referred to Figure 3 etc. describes the first node N 1 and the second node N 2 structure, so its detailed description is omitted.

[0065] The DC detection circuit 241 can detect the coupling voltage V AC Provided to the control circuit 242. The control circuit 242 can be based on the coupling voltage V AC To control the first switching element SW 1 and the second switching element SW 2 The on / off of the coupling voltage V AC The first switching element SW 1 The first voltage V IN3 is selectively applied to the first node N 1 and the second switching element SW 2 The implementation is to selectively apply a ground voltage of 0V to the first node N 1 (In other words, the second switch element SW 2The implementation is such that the first node N 1 According to an example embodiment, the first voltage V IN3 Can be connected with the second power supply voltage V IN2 or a switching regulator (e.g. Figure 5B The output voltage V OUT Alternatively, according to another exemplary embodiment, the second switching element SW 2 A DC voltage close to the ground voltage 0V is selectively applied to the first node N 1 That is, the coupling voltage management circuit 240 according to example embodiments is not limited to Figure 7 The configuration shown in FIG. 1 and may be implemented differently to selectively apply an appropriate voltage to the same node, by which the coupling voltage V AC Turn it down or up.

[0066] The control circuit 242 can adjust the coupling voltage V AC The comparison voltage V is the same as the target coupling voltage AC_REF The comparison is performed, and based on the comparison result, a signal for controlling the first switching element SW is generated. 1 and the second switching element SW 2 The control signal CS_SW 1 and CS_SW 2 According to an example embodiment, when the coupling voltage V AC Higher than the comparison voltage V AC_REF When the control circuit 242 can make the first switch element SW 1 The second switching element SW is turned on and 2 shut down to set the first voltage V IN3 Applied to the first node N 1 , so that the coupling voltage V AC Reduce to the comparison voltage V AC_REF In addition, when the coupling voltage V AC Lower than the comparison voltage V AC_REF When the control circuit 242 can make the first switch element SW 1 The second switching element SW is turned off and 2 is turned on to apply the ground voltage to the first node N 1 , so that the coupling voltage V AC Boost to comparison voltage V AC_REF .

[0067] Figure 8 is a coupling voltage management circuit according to an example embodiment (eg, Figure 7 240) operation flowchart.

[0068] Reference Figure 7 and Figure 8 , the DC detection circuit 241 can detect the coupling capacitor C C The coupling voltage V AC , and the detected coupling voltage V AC Provided to the control circuit 242. In operation S122, the control circuit 242 may determine the coupling voltage V AC Is it higher than the comparison voltage V AC_REF When the coupling voltage V AC Higher than the comparison voltage V AC_REF When (S122, yes), the control circuit 242 may enable the first switch element SW in operation S124. 1 The second switching element SW is turned on and 2 Otherwise, when the coupling voltage V AC Lower than the comparison voltage V AC_REF When (S122, No), the control circuit 242 may enable the first switch element SW in operation S126. 1 The second switching element SW is turned off and 2 In this way, the coupling voltage management circuit 240 can monitor the coupling voltage V AC , and selectively applies different voltages to the coupling capacitor C based on the monitoring results C A terminal (or first node N 1 ).

[0069] Fig. 9A is used to describe a coupling voltage management circuit (eg, Figure 7 240) is a diagram of the switch control conditions, Fig. 9B Is able to execute Fig. 9A 2 is a circuit diagram of one example of the operation of the coupling voltage management circuit 240 .

[0070] Reference Figure 7 and Fig. 9A , when the coupling voltage V AC Compare with voltage V AC_REF The difference between them is greater than the threshold V TH When the control circuit 242 can control the first voltage V IN3 or ground voltage to the first node N 1 According to an example embodiment, the control circuit 242 may control the first switching element SW according to a preset window. 1 and the second switching element SW 2 .

[0071] According to example embodiments, the first window WD 1 Including coupling voltage V AC Below the threshold by putting V TH Compare with voltage V AC_REFThe value obtained by adding (i.e., V AC_REF +V TH ) and is higher than the comparison voltage V AC_REF Subtract the threshold V TH The obtained value (i.e., V AC_REF -V TH ), the control circuit 242 may be in the first window WD 1 The first switch element SW 1 The second switching element SW is turned off and 2 is turned off so that no voltage is applied to the first node N 1 .

[0072] Second window WD 2 Including coupling voltage V AC Above the threshold V TH Compare with voltage V AC_REF In the case of the value obtained by adding, the control circuit 242 can 2 The first switch element SW 1 The second switching element SW is turned on and 2 is turned off, so that the first voltage V IN3 Applied to the first node N 1 .

[0073] The third window WD 3 Including coupling voltage V AC is lower than the comparison voltage V AC_REF Subtract the threshold V TH In the case of the obtained value, the control circuit 242 can 3 The first switch element SW 1 The second switching element SW is turned off and 2 is turned on, so that the ground voltage is applied to the first node N 1 .

[0074] In the following, reference is made to Fig. 9B , the main description is used for execution reference Fig. 9A The operation of the DC detection circuit 241, the control circuit 242 and the first switching element SW 1 and the second switching element SW 2 An implementation example of Fig. 9B As shown in FIG. 1 , the DC detection circuit 241 may include a circuit capable of detecting the first node N 1 With the second node N 2 The coupling voltage V ACThe control circuit 242 may include a first combiner 242a and a second combiner 242b, a first comparator 242c and a second comparator 242d, an OR gate 242e and an AND gate 242f. The logic gates 242e and 242f may receive comparison results from the first comparator 242c and the second comparator 242d, respectively, and generate control signals for the first switch element SW1 and the second switch element SW2, respectively. The configuration of the logic gates 242e and 242f may be referred to as a control signal generating circuit.

[0075] The first switching element SW 1 The first transistor (or positive channel metal oxide semiconductor (PMOS)) TR 1 , the second switch element SW 2 A second transistor (or negative channel metal oxide semiconductor (NMOS)) TR 2 The first combiner 242a can receive the comparison voltage V AC_REF , set the threshold V TH Compare with voltage V AC_REF The first comparator 242c can also receive the coupling voltage V from the comparator 241a. AC , and the coupling voltage V AC The second combiner 242b may receive the comparison voltage V AC_REF , from the comparison voltage V AC_REF Subtract the threshold V TH , and then provide the subtraction result to the second comparator 242d. The second comparator 242d can also receive the coupling voltage V from the comparator 241a. AC , and the coupling voltage V AC The OR gate 242e is compared with the subtraction result received from the second combiner 242b, and the comparison result is provided to the AND gate 242f. One input terminal of the OR gate 242e can be connected to the output terminal of the AND gate 242f, so that the OR gate 242e can receive the signal output from the AND gate 242f as a feedback signal. In addition, one input terminal of the AND gate 242f can be connected to the output terminal of the OR gate 242e, so that the AND gate 242f can receive the signal output from the OR gate 242e as a feedback signal. The first transistor TR 1 The first transistor TR 1 The gate terminal of the OR gate 242e receives a signal output from the OR gate 242e, and based on the received signal, the first voltage V IN3 is selectively applied to the first node N 1The second transistor TR 2 The second transistor TR 2 The gate terminal of the AND gate 242 receives a signal output from the AND gate 242f, and selectively applies a ground voltage to the first node N based on the received signal. 1 .

[0076] pass Fig. 9B The configuration of the coupling voltage management circuit 240 shown in FIG. AC Deviation from comparison voltage V AC_REF Threshold V TH or more, the control circuit 242 may control the first switching element SW1 and the second switching element SW2 so as to minimize power consumption according to the switching operation and ensure smooth operation of the power modulator in the ET modulation mode.

[0077] Fig.10 2 is a block diagram of the power modulator 200 in the standby mode. Figure 3 The descriptions are the same, and therefore, the operation of the power modulator 200 in the standby mode will be mainly described.

[0078] Reference Fig.10 Since both the linear regulator 210 and the switching regulator 220 are disabled in the standby mode, the two terminals (or the first node N 1 and the second node N 2 ) may be floating, and therefore, due to various factors such as ambient noise, it may be difficult to control the coupling voltage V of the coupling circuit 231. AC Maintain the target coupling voltage (e.g. Figure 5A V TG In addition, if the power modulator 200 enters the standby mode when the wireless communication device is newly turned on, it may be necessary to charge the coupling circuit 231 to the target coupling voltage in advance to prepare for switching to the ET modulation mode.

[0079] The coupling voltage management circuit 240′ according to example embodiments may apply a ground voltage to the first node N. 1 , and applying a second voltage to the second node N 2 The output terminal of the linear regulator 210 and the first terminal of the coupling circuit 231 are connected to the first node N 1 , the output terminal of the switching regulator 220 and the second terminal of the coupling circuit 231 are connected to the second node N 2 According to an example embodiment, the second voltage may be equal to the second power supply voltage V provided to the switching regulator 220. IN2That is, in the standby mode, the coupling voltage management circuit 240' can provide appropriate voltages to the two terminals of the coupling circuit 231, respectively, so that the coupling voltage V AC Approaching or maintaining the target coupling voltage (e.g. Figure 5A V TG ).

[0080] Fig.11A and Fig. 11B 2 is a block diagram of a coupling voltage management circuit 240′ and a coupling voltage management circuit 240″ according to an example embodiment. In the following, it is assumed that the coupling circuit is coupled via a coupling capacitor C C is implemented, and the power supply modulator operates in standby mode.

[0081] Reference Fig.11A The coupling voltage management circuit 240' may include a DC detection circuit 241', a control circuit 242' and a first switch element SW 1 , the second switch element SW 2 and the third switching element SW 3 The DC detection circuit 241' can be connected to the coupling capacitor C C The two terminals (or the first node N 1 and the second node N 2 ) to detect the coupling capacitor C C The coupling voltage V AC .

[0082] The DC detection circuit 241' can detect the coupling voltage V AC Provided to the control circuit 242 ′. The control circuit 242 ′ can be based on the coupling voltage V AC To control the first switching element SW 1 , the second switch element SW 2 and the third switching element SW 3 The on / off switching of the coupling circuit 231 makes the coupling voltage V AC The second switching element SW 2 It can be implemented by selectively applying a ground voltage of 0V to the first node N 1 , the third switch element SW 3 It can be realized by setting the second voltage V IN4 Selectively applied to the second node N 2 According to an example embodiment, the second voltage V IN4 Can be used with switching regulators (e.g. Figure 5B The second power supply voltage V IN2 In addition, the third switch element SW 3It can be realized by setting the first voltage V IN3 is selectively applied to the first node N 1 That is, the coupling voltage management circuit 240′ according to the example embodiment is not limited to Fig.11A The configuration shown in FIG. 1 and may be implemented differently in that appropriate voltages are selectively applied to the first node N respectively. 1 and the second node N 2 , so that the coupling voltage V AC Approach or maintain the target coupling voltage.

[0083] The control circuit 242' can adjust the coupling voltage V AC The comparison voltage V is the same as the target coupling voltage AC_REF The comparison is performed, and based on the comparison result, a signal for controlling the first switching element SW is generated. 1 , the second switch element SW 2 and the third switching element SW 3 The control signal CS_SW 1 、CS_SW 3 and CS_SW 3 According to an example embodiment, the control circuit 242′ may enable the first switching element SW 1 Turn off, so that the second switch element SW 2 is turned on, and the third switch element SW 3 is turned on until the coupling voltage V AC Until the target coupling voltage is approached or maintained.

[0084] Reference Fig. 11B The coupling voltage management circuit 240" may include a DC detection circuit 241", a control circuit 242", a pre-charge circuit 243", and a first switch element SW 1 , the second switch element SW 2 and the third switching element SW 3 .like Fig. 11B As shown in Fig.11A Compared with the coupling voltage management circuit 240', the coupling voltage management circuit 240" may further include a precharge circuit 243", and the DC detection circuit 241" may be disabled. The precharge circuit 243" may be implemented by a low voltage dropout (LDO) circuit including a transistor TR and a comparator CP. The precharge circuit 243" may be implemented by connecting the coupling capacitor C to the comparator CP. C The coupling voltage and the comparison voltage V AC_REF Compare and convert the second voltage V IN4 Applied to the second node N 2 , until the coupling voltage is equal to the comparison voltage V AC_REFHowever, this is only an example embodiment, and therefore, the pre-charge circuit 243 ″ is not limited thereto, and may be composed of a capacitor capable of coupling the coupling capacitor C C The charging circuit is configured to achieve the goal of coupling voltage approaching or reaching the target coupling voltage.

[0085] When the power modulator operates in the standby mode, the control circuit 242" may generate a signal for controlling the first switching element SW 1 , the second switch element SW 2 and the third switching element SW 3 The control signal CS_SW 1 、CS_SW 2 and CS_SW 3 According to an example embodiment, the control circuit 242" may enable the first switching element SW 1 Turn off, so that the second switch element SW 2 is turned on, and the third switch element SW 3 Turn on until the coupling voltage approaches or remains at the target coupling voltage.

[0086] pass Fig.11A and Fig. 11B In the configuration shown in FIG. 1 , when the power modulator is in standby mode, the coupling capacitor C C The pre-charging (or pre-charging) may be performed so that the power modulator can immediately perform a smooth ET modulation operation when the power modulator operates in the ET modulation mode.

[0087] Fig.12 is a block diagram of a wireless communication device 1000 according to an example embodiment.

[0088] Reference Fig.12 As an example of a communication device, the wireless communication device 1000 may include an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) 1010, a power management module 1020, an application specific instruction set processor (ASIP) 1030, a memory 1050, a main processor 1070, and a main memory 1090. Two or more of the ASIC 1010, the power management module 1020, the ASIP 1030, and the main processor 1070 may communicate with each other. In addition, at least two of the ASIC 1010, the ASIP 1030, the memory 1050, the main processor 1070, and the main memory 1090 may be embedded in a single chip.

[0089] ASIP 1030 is an integrated circuit customized for a specific purpose, can support a dedicated instruction set for a specific application, and can execute instructions included in the instruction set. Memory 1050 can communicate with ASIP 1030, store multiple instructions to be executed by ASIP 1030 as a non-temporary storage device, and store instructions for performing coupling voltage management operations according to some embodiments. As a non-limiting example, memory 1050 may include random types of memory accessible to ASIP 1030, such as random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), tape, disk, optical disk, volatile memory, non-volatile memory, and combinations thereof. ASIP 1030 or main processor 1070 can perform the coupling voltage management operation as described above according to the embodiment by executing a series of instructions stored in memory 1050.

[0090] The power management module 1020 may include a power modulator according to example embodiments, and the power modulator may manage a coupling voltage of a coupling circuit so that the coupling voltage is constantly maintained as a target coupling voltage in a modulation mode other than the ET modulation mode.

[0091] The main processor 1070 may control the wireless communication device 1000 by executing a plurality of instructions. For example, the main processor 1070 may control the ASIC 1010 and the ASIP 1030, process data received through the wireless communication network, and process user input to the wireless communication device 1000. The main memory 1090 may communicate with the main processor 1070 and store a plurality of instructions to be executed by the main processor 1070 as a non-transitory storage device.

[0092] According to an exemplary embodiment, at least one of the components, elements, modules and units described herein can be embodied as various numbers of hardware, software and / or firmware structures that perform the above-mentioned corresponding functions. For example, at least one of these components, elements and units can use a direct circuit structure, such as a memory, processor, logic circuit, lookup table, etc. that can perform the corresponding functions by controlling one or more microprocessors or other control devices. In addition, at least one of these components, elements and units can be specifically implemented by a part of a module, program or code, which contains one or more executable instructions for performing a specified logical function, and is performed by one or more microprocessors or other control devices. In addition, at least one of these components, elements and units can also include a processor, microprocessor, etc. such as a central processing unit (CPU) that performs the corresponding function, or is implemented by a processor, microprocessor, etc. such as a central processing unit (CPU) that performs the corresponding function. Two or more of these components, elements and units can be combined into a single component, element or unit, which performs all operations or functions of the two or more components, elements or units combined. In addition, at least a portion of the functions of at least one of these components, elements and units can be performed by another of these components, elements and units. In addition, although the bus is not shown in some block diagrams, communication between components, elements or units can be performed via the bus. The functional aspects of the above exemplary embodiments can be implemented in algorithms executed on one or more processors. In addition, the components, elements or units represented by the blocks or processing operations can adopt any number of related technologies for electronic construction, signal processing and / or control, data processing, etc.

[0093] The above embodiments are only intended to describe the technical content and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. Although the present disclosure is described in detail with reference to the above embodiments, it should be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that, without departing from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments, those of ordinary skill in the art can still modify the technical solutions described in the above embodiments or perform equivalent replacements on some of their technical features.

Claims

1. A power modulator operating in multiple modulation modes, the power modulator comprising: Linear regulators; Switching regulators; as well as A mode-based connection circuit configured to control a connection between the linear regulator and the switching regulator based on a modulation mode, the mode-based connection circuit comprising: a coupling circuit configured to reduce the output signal of the linear regulator by a target coupling voltage in an envelope tracking modulation mode, and A coupling voltage management circuit is configured to monitor a coupling voltage of the coupling circuit in another modulation mode, and selectively apply a voltage to the coupling voltage based on a monitoring result so that the coupling voltage is maintained at the target coupling voltage.

2. The power modulator according to claim 1, wherein: The coupling voltage management circuit is further configured to selectively apply any one of a first voltage and a ground voltage to a first node to which an output terminal of the linear regulator and a first terminal of the coupling circuit are connected.

3. The power modulator according to claim 2, wherein: The first voltage corresponds to an output voltage of the switching regulator or a power supply voltage provided to the switching regulator.

4. The power modulator according to claim 2, wherein: The coupling voltage management circuit is further configured to apply the first voltage to the first node in response to the coupling voltage being higher than the target coupling voltage, and to apply the ground voltage to the first node in response to the coupling voltage being lower than the target coupling voltage.

5. The power modulator according to claim 2, wherein: The coupling voltage management circuit is further configured to selectively apply any one of the first voltage and the ground voltage to the first node in response to a difference between the coupling voltage and the target coupling voltage being greater than a threshold.

6. The power modulator according to claim 5, wherein: The coupling voltage management circuit comprises: a first switching element configured to selectively apply the first voltage to the first node; a second switching element configured to selectively apply the ground voltage to the first node; a first comparator connected to the first terminal and the second terminal of the coupling circuit and configured to output the coupling voltage based on a comparison between a voltage of the first terminal and a voltage of the second terminal; a first combiner configured to receive a comparison voltage corresponding to the target coupling voltage and output a first result obtained by adding the threshold value to the comparison voltage; a second combiner configured to receive the comparison voltage and output a second result obtained by subtracting the threshold value from the comparison voltage; a second comparator configured to receive the coupling voltage and the first result and output a third result based on a comparison between the coupling voltage and the first result; a third comparator configured to receive the coupling voltage and the second result and output a fourth result based on a comparison between the coupling voltage and the second result; and A control signal generating circuit is configured to receive the third result and the fourth result and generate control signals for the first switching element and the second switching element.

7. The power modulator according to claim 6, wherein: The control signal generating circuit includes an OR gate and an AND gate. A first input terminal of the OR gate is connected to an output terminal of the AND gate, a second input terminal of the OR gate receives an inverted signal of the third result output from the second comparator, and A first input terminal of the AND gate is connected to an output terminal of the OR gate, and a second input terminal of the AND gate receives the fourth result output from the third comparator.

8. The power modulator according to claim 1, wherein: The coupling voltage management circuit is further configured to apply a ground voltage to a first node and a second voltage to a second node, the output terminal of the linear regulator and the first terminal of the coupling circuit being connected to the first node, and the output terminal of the linear regulator and the second terminal of the coupling circuit being connected to the second node.

9. The power modulator according to claim 8, wherein: The second voltage corresponds to a power supply voltage provided to the switching regulator.

10. The power modulator according to claim 1, wherein: The another modulation mode includes at least one of an average power tracking modulation mode and a standby mode.

11. The power modulator according to claim 1, wherein: The coupling voltage management circuit comprises: a first switching element configured to selectively apply a first voltage to a first node to which an output terminal of the linear regulator and a first terminal of the coupling circuit are connected; a second switching element configured to selectively apply a ground voltage to the first node; a detection circuit connected to the first terminal and the second terminal of the coupling circuit and configured to detect the coupling voltage; and A control circuit is configured to receive the detected coupling voltage from the detection circuit, and is configured to control on / off switching of the first switching element and the second switching element based on a comparison between the coupling voltage and the target coupling voltage.

12. The power supply modulator according to claim 11, wherein: The control circuit is further configured to turn off the first switching element and the second switching element in the envelope tracking modulation mode.

13. The power supply modulator according to claim 11, wherein: In the average power tracking modulation mode, the control circuit is further configured as follows: turning on the first switching element and turning off the second switching element in response to the detected coupling voltage being higher than the target coupling voltage, and The first switching element is turned off and the second switching element is turned on in response to the detected coupling voltage being lower than the target coupling voltage.

14. The power supply modulator according to claim 11, wherein: The coupling voltage management circuit further includes a third switching element configured to selectively apply a second voltage to a second node to which the output terminal of the switching regulator and the second terminal of the coupling circuit are connected.

15. The power modulator according to claim 14, wherein: The control circuit is further configured to turn off the first switching element, turn on the second switching element, and turn on the third switching element in a standby mode.

16. The power supply modulator according to claim 14, wherein: A level of the first voltage is greater than a level of the second voltage.

17. The power modulator of claim 14, wherein: A level of the first voltage is the same as a level of the second voltage.

18. A power modulator operating in multiple modulation modes, the power modulator comprising: a linear regulator configured to output an envelope signal in an envelope tracking modulation mode; a switching regulator configured to output a DC current signal in said envelope tracking modulation mode or average power tracking modulation mode; a coupling circuit configured to reduce an output signal of the linear regulator by a target coupling voltage by coupling an AC current signal from an envelope signal of the linear regulator in the envelope tracking modulation mode; as well as A coupling voltage management circuit is configured to selectively apply a voltage to at least one of the first terminal and the second terminal of the coupling circuit to maintain the coupling voltage of the coupling circuit at the target coupling voltage in a modulation mode other than the envelope tracking modulation mode.

19. The power modulator according to claim 18, wherein: The coupling voltage management circuit is further configured to selectively apply any one of a first voltage and a ground voltage to a first node in the average power tracking modulation mode, to which the output terminal of the linear regulator and the first terminal of the coupling circuit are connected.

20. The power supply modulator according to claim 19, wherein: The level of the first voltage is the same as that of a second node to which the output terminal of the linear regulator and the second terminal of the coupling circuit are connected.

21. The power modulator of claim 20, wherein: The coupling voltage management circuit is further configured to apply the ground voltage to the first node and a second voltage to the second node in a standby mode.

22. The power modulator of claim 18, wherein: The coupling voltage management circuit further includes a detection circuit connected to the first terminal and the second terminal of the coupling circuit in a modulation mode other than the envelope tracking modulation mode, and The detection circuit is configured to detect the coupling voltage and selectively apply the voltage based on a comparison between the detected coupling voltage and the target coupling voltage.

23. The power modulator of claim 22, wherein: The coupling voltage management circuit is further configured to be connected to the coupling circuit via a first line for detecting the coupling voltage and via a second line for applying the voltage to at least one of a first terminal and a second terminal of the coupling circuit.

24. A wireless communication device, comprising: a power modulator including a linear regulator, a switching regulator, and a coupling circuit connected between an output terminal of the linear regulator and an output terminal of the switching regulator, the power modulator being configured to operate in a plurality of modulation modes, a target coupling voltage being applied across a first terminal and a second terminal of the coupling circuit in an envelope tracking modulation mode; a modem configured to control a modulation mode of the power modulator; as well as a radio frequency power amplifier configured to amplify a radio frequency signal based on a voltage applied from the power modulator and output the amplified radio frequency signal, Wherein, the power modulator is configured to monitor the voltage across the first terminal and the second terminal of the coupling circuit in at least one modulation mode other than the envelope tracking modulation mode, and selectively supply the voltage to the coupling circuit based on the monitoring result so that the voltage across the coupling circuit has the target coupling voltage.

25. The wireless communication device according to claim 24, wherein: The power modulator is further configured to selectively apply any one of a first voltage and a ground voltage to a first node based on the monitoring result in an average power tracking modulation mode, to which the output terminal of the linear regulator and the first terminal of the coupling circuit are connected.

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