Power amplifier power management in user equipment

Abstract

Apparatuses and methods for power amplifier power management are disclosed. In certain embodiments, a mobile device includes a transceiver that generates a radio frequency signal, a front-end system that includes a first power amplifier module that amplifies the radio frequency signal, and a power management system that includes an envelope tracking power management unit that provides an envelope tracking supply voltage to the first power amplifier module, and a first average power tracking power management unit that provides an average power tracking supply voltage to the first power amplifier module. The first power amplifier module is configured to selectively switch between the envelope tracking supply voltage and the average power tracking supply voltage.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present invention relate to electronic systems, particularly radio frequency electronic devices. Background Technology

[0002] Radio frequency (RF) communication systems can be used to transmit and / or receive signals over a wide frequency range. For example, RF communication systems can be used to wirelessly communicate RF signals in a frequency range of approximately 30 kHz to 300 GHz, such as: for fifth-generation (5G) communication using frequency range 1 (FR1), in the range of approximately 410 MHz to approximately 7.125 GHz; or for 5G communication using frequency range 2 (FR2), in the range of approximately 24.25 GHz to 52.6 GHz.

[0003] Examples of radio frequency communication systems include, but are not limited to, mobile phones, tablets, base stations, network access points, customer premises equipment (CPE), laptops, and wearable electronic devices. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In some embodiments, this disclosure relates to a mobile device. The mobile device includes: a transceiver configured to generate a radio frequency signal; a front-end system including a first power amplifier module configured to amplify the radio frequency signal; and a power management system including an envelope tracking power management unit configured to provide an envelope tracking power supply voltage to the first power amplifier module, and a first average power tracking power management unit configured to provide an average power tracking power supply voltage to the first power amplifier module, the first power amplifier module being configured to selectively switch between the envelope tracking power supply voltage and the average power tracking power supply voltage.

[0005] In some embodiments, the first power amplifier module is configured to provide amplification in the low-frequency range.

[0006] In several embodiments, the front-end system further includes a second power amplifier module configured to receive power from an envelope tracking supply voltage and a third power amplifier module configured to receive power from an average power tracking supply voltage. According to many embodiments, a first power amplifier module is configured to provide amplification in a low-frequency band, a second power amplifier module is configured to provide amplification in a mid-frequency and high-frequency band, and a third power amplifier module is configured to provide amplification in an ultra-high frequency band. According to various embodiments, the front-end system further includes a fourth power amplifier module configured to provide amplification in a low-frequency band, a fifth power amplifier module configured to provide amplification in a mid-frequency and high-frequency band, and a sixth power amplifier module configured to provide amplification in an ultra-high frequency band. According to some embodiments, the power management system further includes a second average power tracking power management unit configured to provide power to the fourth, fifth, and sixth power amplifier modules. According to various embodiments, the first average power tracking power management unit, the envelope tracking power management unit, the first power amplifier module, the second power amplifier module, and the third power amplifier module are located on the first side of the mobile phone, and the second average power tracking power management unit, the fourth power amplifier module, the fifth power amplifier module, and the sixth power amplifier module are located on the second side of the mobile phone.

[0007] In some embodiments, the front-end system further includes a second power amplifier module configured to receive power from an average power tracking supply voltage and provide amplification in a low-frequency band. According to many embodiments, a first power amplifier module is located on a first side of the mobile phone, and a second power amplifier module is located on a second side of the mobile phone. According to various embodiments, the front-end system further includes a third power amplifier module configured to provide amplification in an ultra-high frequency band and selectively switch between an envelope tracking supply voltage and an average power tracking supply voltage. According to several embodiments, the front-end system further includes a fourth power amplifier module configured to provide amplification in an ultra-high frequency band and receive power from an average power tracking supply voltage. According to many embodiments, a first average power tracking power management unit, an envelope tracking power management unit, a first power amplifier module, and a third power amplifier module are located on a first side of the mobile phone, and a second power amplifier module and a fourth power amplifier module are located on a second side of the mobile phone. According to various embodiments, the front-end system further includes a fifth power amplifier module located on a first side of the mobile phone, configured to receive power from an envelope tracking power supply voltage and provide amplification in the intermediate frequency band and high frequency band, and a sixth power amplifier module located on a second side of the mobile phone, configured to receive power from an average power tracking power supply voltage and provide amplification in the intermediate frequency band and high frequency band.

[0008] In several embodiments, an envelope tracking unit is located on a first side of the mobile phone, and a first average power tracking power management unit and a first power amplifier module are located on a second side of the mobile phone. According to many embodiments, the front-end system further includes a second power amplifier module located on the first side of the mobile phone, configured to receive power from an envelope tracking power supply voltage. According to various embodiments, the first power amplifier module is configured to provide amplification in the low-frequency band, and the second power amplifier module is configured to provide amplification in the mid-frequency and high-frequency bands. According to some embodiments, the power management system further includes a second average power tracking power management unit located on the first side of the mobile phone, and the front-end system further includes a third power amplifier module located on the first side of the mobile phone, configured to receive power from the second average power tracking power management unit and provide amplification in the ultra-high-frequency band. According to some embodiments, the front-end system further includes a fourth power amplifier module located on the second side of the mobile phone, configured to receive power from the envelope tracking power management unit and provide amplification in the mid-frequency and high-frequency bands. According to several embodiments, the front-end system further includes a third power amplifier module located on the second side of the mobile phone, configured to receive power from the first average power tracking power management unit and provide amplification in the mid-frequency and high-frequency bands. According to some embodiments, the front-end system also includes a fourth power amplifier module located on a first side of the mobile phone, configured to receive power from a first average power tracking power management unit and provide amplification in the ultra-high frequency band.

[0009] In some embodiments, this disclosure relates to a telephone board assembly for a mobile phone. The telephone board assembly includes: a first power amplifier module configured to amplify radio frequency signals; an envelope tracking power management unit configured to provide an envelope tracking power supply voltage to the first power amplifier module; and a first average power tracking power management unit configured to provide an average power tracking power supply voltage to the first power amplifier module, the first power amplifier module being configured to selectively switch between the envelope tracking power supply voltage and the average power tracking power supply voltage.

[0010] In various embodiments, the first power amplifier module is configured to provide amplification in the low-frequency range.

[0011] In some embodiments, the telephone board assembly further includes a second power amplifier module configured to receive power from an envelope tracking power supply voltage and a third power amplifier module configured to receive power from an average power tracking power supply voltage. According to several embodiments, a first power amplifier module is configured to provide amplification in a low-frequency band, a second power amplifier module is configured to provide amplification in a mid-frequency and high-frequency band, and a third power amplifier module is configured to provide amplification in an ultra-high-frequency band. According to many embodiments, the telephone board assembly further includes a fourth power amplifier module configured to provide amplification in a low-frequency band, a fifth power amplifier module configured to provide amplification in a mid-frequency and high-frequency band, and a sixth power amplifier module configured to provide amplification in an ultra-high-frequency band. According to various embodiments, the telephone board assembly further includes a second average power tracking power management unit configured to provide power to the fourth, fifth, and sixth power amplifier modules. According to several embodiments, a first average power tracking power management unit, an envelope tracking power management unit, a first power amplifier module, a second power amplifier module, and a third power amplifier module are located on a first side of the telephone board assembly, and a second average power tracking power management unit, a fourth power amplifier module, a fifth power amplifier module, and a sixth power amplifier module are located on a second side of the telephone board assembly.

[0012] In some embodiments, the telephone board assembly further includes a second power amplifier module configured to receive power from an average power tracking supply voltage and provide amplification in the low-frequency band. According to several embodiments, a first power amplifier module is located on a first side of the telephone board assembly, and a second power amplifier module is located on a second side of the telephone board assembly. According to many embodiments, the telephone board assembly further includes a third power amplifier module configured to provide amplification in the ultra-high frequency band and selectively switch between an envelope tracking supply voltage and an average power tracking supply voltage. According to various embodiments, the telephone board assembly further includes a fourth power amplifier module configured to provide amplification in the ultra-high frequency band and receive power from an average power tracking supply voltage. According to several embodiments, a first average power tracking power management unit, an envelope tracking power management unit, a first power amplifier module, and a third power amplifier module are located on a first side of the telephone board assembly, and a second power amplifier module and a fourth power amplifier module are located on a second side of the telephone board assembly. According to several embodiments, the telephone board assembly further includes a fifth power amplifier module located on a first side of the telephone board assembly, configured to receive power from an envelope tracking power supply voltage and provide amplification in the mid-frequency and high-frequency bands, and a sixth power amplifier module located on a second side of the telephone board assembly, configured to receive power from an average power tracking power supply voltage and provide amplification in the mid-frequency and high-frequency bands.

[0013] In several embodiments, an envelope tracking unit is located on a first side of the telephone board assembly, and a first average power tracking power management unit and a first power amplifier module are located on a second side of the telephone board assembly. According to several embodiments, the telephone board assembly further includes a second power amplifier module located on the first side of the telephone board assembly, configured to receive power from an envelope tracking power supply voltage. According to several embodiments, the first power amplifier module is configured to provide amplification in the low-frequency band, and the second power amplifier module is configured to provide amplification in the mid-frequency and high-frequency bands. According to many embodiments, the telephone board assembly further includes a second average power tracking power management unit located on the first side of the telephone board assembly, and a third power amplifier module located on the first side of the telephone board assembly, configured to receive power from the second average power tracking power management unit and provide amplification in the ultra-high-frequency band. According to various embodiments, the front-end system further includes a fourth power amplifier module located on the second side of the telephone board assembly, configured to receive power from the envelope tracking power management unit and provide amplification in the mid-frequency and high-frequency bands. According to several embodiments, the telephone board assembly further includes a third power amplifier module located on a second side of the telephone board assembly, configured to receive power from a first average power tracking power management unit and provide amplification in the mid-frequency and high-frequency bands. According to several embodiments, the telephone board assembly further includes a fourth power amplifier module located on a first side of the telephone board assembly, configured to receive power from the first average power tracking power management unit and provide amplification in the ultra-high frequency band.

[0014] In some embodiments, this disclosure relates to a power management method in a mobile device. The method includes amplifying a radio frequency signal using a first power amplifier module, providing an envelope tracking power supply voltage to the first power amplifier module using an envelope tracking power management unit, providing an average power tracking power supply voltage to the first power amplifier module using a first average power tracking power management unit, and selectively switching between the envelope tracking power supply voltage and the average power tracking power supply voltage using the first power amplifier module.

[0015] In various embodiments, the method also includes using a first power amplifier module to provide amplification in the low-frequency band.

[0016] According to some embodiments, the method further includes powering a second power amplifier module using an envelope tracking power supply voltage and powering a third power amplifier module using an average power tracking power supply voltage. According to several embodiments, the method further includes providing amplification in the low-frequency band using a first power amplifier module, providing amplification in the mid-frequency and high-frequency bands using a second power amplifier module, and providing amplification in the ultra-high-frequency band using a third power amplifier module. According to many embodiments, the method further includes providing amplification in the low-frequency band using a fourth power amplifier module, providing amplification in the mid-frequency and high-frequency bands using a fifth power amplifier module, and providing amplification in the ultra-high-frequency band using a sixth power amplifier module. According to various embodiments, the method further includes providing power to the fourth, fifth, and sixth power amplifier modules using a second average power tracking power management unit. According to many embodiments, the first average power tracking power management unit, the envelope tracking power management unit, the first power amplifier module, the second power amplifier module, and the third power amplifier module are located on a first side of the telephone board assembly, and the second average power tracking power management unit, the fourth power amplifier module, the fifth power amplifier module, and the sixth power amplifier module are located on a second side of the telephone board assembly.

[0017] In several embodiments, the method further includes powering a second power amplifier module using an average power tracking supply voltage, and using the second power amplifier module to provide amplification in the low-frequency band. According to some embodiments, a first power amplifier module is located on a first side of the telephone board assembly, and a second power amplifier module is located on a second side of the telephone board assembly. According to various embodiments, the method further includes using a third power amplifier module to provide amplification in the ultra-high frequency band, and using the third power amplifier module to selectively switch between an envelope tracking supply voltage and an average power tracking supply voltage. According to many embodiments, the method further includes powering a fourth power amplifier module using an average power tracking supply voltage, and using the fourth power amplifier module to provide amplification in the ultra-high frequency band. According to some embodiments, a first average power tracking power management unit, an envelope tracking power management unit, a first power amplifier module, and a third power amplifier module are located on a first side of the telephone board assembly, and a second power amplifier module and a fourth power amplifier module are located on a second side of the telephone board assembly. According to several embodiments, the method further includes powering a fifth power amplifier module on a first side of the telephone board assembly using an envelope tracking power supply voltage, providing amplification in the mid-frequency and high-frequency bands using the fifth power amplifier module, powering a sixth power amplifier module on a second side of the telephone board assembly using an average power tracking power supply voltage, and providing amplification in the mid-frequency and high-frequency bands using the sixth power amplifier module.

[0018] In some embodiments, an envelope tracking unit is located on a first side of the telephone board assembly, and a first average power tracking power management unit and a first power amplifier module are located on a second side of the telephone board assembly. According to many embodiments, the method further includes powering a second power amplifier module on the first side of the telephone board assembly using an envelope tracking power supply voltage. According to various embodiments, the method further includes providing amplification in the low-frequency band using the first power amplifier module, and providing amplification in the mid-frequency and high-frequency bands using the second power amplifier module. According to several embodiments, the method further includes powering a third power amplifier module on the first side of the telephone board assembly using the second average power tracking power management unit on the first side of the telephone board assembly, and providing amplification in the ultra-high-frequency band using the third power amplifier module. According to several embodiments, the method further includes powering a fourth power amplifier module on the second side of the telephone board assembly using the envelope tracking power management unit, and providing amplification in the mid-frequency and high-frequency bands using the fourth power amplifier module. According to several embodiments, the method further includes powering a third power amplifier module on the second side of the telephone board assembly using the first average power tracking power management unit, and providing amplification in the mid-frequency and high-frequency bands using the third power amplifier module. According to various embodiments, the method further includes using a first average power tracking power management unit to power a fourth power amplifier module on a first side of the telephone board assembly, and using the fourth power amplifier module to provide amplification in the ultra-high frequency band.

[0019] In some embodiments, this disclosure relates to a mobile device. The mobile device includes: a transceiver configured to generate a first radio frequency (RF) signal and a second RF signal; a front-end system including a first power amplifier module configured to amplify the first RF signal and a second power amplifier module configured to amplify the second RF signal; and a power management system including a first multi-mode power management unit configured to generate a first shared power amplifier supply voltage for the first and second power amplifier modules, the first multi-mode power management unit being operable in multiple modes including envelope tracking mode and average power tracking mode.

[0020] In various embodiments, the first power amplifier module is configured to provide amplification in the ultra-high frequency band, and the second power amplifier module is configured to provide amplification in the mid-frequency and high-frequency bands.

[0021] In some embodiments, the front-end system further includes a third power amplifier module and a fourth power amplifier module, and the power management system further includes a second multi-mode power management unit configured to generate a second shared power amplifier supply voltage for the third power amplifier module and the fourth power amplifier module. According to several embodiments, the first power amplifier module, the second power amplifier module, and the first multi-mode power management unit are located on a first side of the mobile phone, and the third power amplifier module, the fourth power amplifier module, and the second multi-mode power management unit are located on a second side of the mobile phone. According to many embodiments, no power line crosses the first and second sides.

[0022] In various embodiments, a first power amplifier module is configured to provide amplification in the ultra-high frequency band, a second power amplifier module is configured to provide amplification in the mid-frequency and high-frequency bands, a third power amplifier module is configured to provide amplification in the low-frequency band, and a fourth power amplifier module is configured to provide amplification in the mid-frequency and high-frequency bands. According to several embodiments, the front-end system further includes a fifth power amplifier module configured to receive power from the first shared power amplifier supply voltage and provide amplification in the low-frequency band, and a sixth power amplifier module configured to receive power from the second shared power amplifier supply voltage and provide amplification in the mid-frequency and high-frequency bands. According to several embodiments, the front-end system further includes a seventh power amplifier module configured to receive power from the first shared power amplifier supply voltage and provide amplification of the second-generation cellular signal.

[0023] In some embodiments, this disclosure relates to a telephone board assembly for a mobile phone. The telephone board assembly includes: a first power amplifier module configured to amplify a first radio frequency signal; a second power amplifier module configured to amplify a second radio frequency signal; and a first multi-mode power management unit configured to generate a first shared power amplifier supply voltage for the first and second power amplifier modules, the first multi-mode power management unit being operable in multiple modes including envelope tracking mode and average power tracking mode.

[0024] In various embodiments, the first power amplifier module is configured to provide amplification in the ultra-high frequency band, and the second power amplifier module is configured to provide amplification in the mid-frequency and high-frequency bands.

[0025] In several embodiments, the telephone board assembly further includes a third power amplifier module, a fourth power amplifier module, and a second multi-mode power management unit configured to generate a second shared power amplifier supply voltage for the third and fourth power amplifier modules. According to many embodiments, the first power amplifier module, the second power amplifier module, and the first multi-mode power management unit are attached to a first side of the telephone board assembly, and the third power amplifier module, the fourth power amplifier module, and the second multi-mode power management unit are attached to a second side of the telephone board assembly. According to several embodiments, no power lines cross the first and second sides.

[0026] In many embodiments, a first power amplifier module is configured to provide amplification in the ultra-high frequency band, a second power amplifier module is configured to provide amplification in the mid-frequency and high-frequency bands, a third power amplifier module is configured to provide amplification in the low-frequency band, and a fourth power amplifier module is configured to provide amplification in the mid-frequency and high-frequency bands. According to various embodiments, the telephone board assembly further includes a fifth power amplifier module configured to receive power from the first shared power amplifier supply voltage and provide amplification in the low-frequency band, and a sixth power amplifier module configured to receive power from the second shared power amplifier supply voltage and provide amplification in the mid-frequency and high-frequency bands. According to some embodiments, the telephone board assembly further includes a seventh power amplifier module configured to receive power from the first shared power amplifier supply voltage and provide amplification of the second-generation cellular signal.

[0027] In some embodiments, this disclosure relates to a power management method in a mobile device. The method further includes amplifying a first radio frequency signal using a first power amplifier module, amplifying a second radio frequency signal using a second power amplifier module, and generating a first shared power amplifier supply voltage for the first and second power amplifier modules using a first multi-mode power management unit, the first multi-mode power management unit being operable in multiple modes including envelope tracking mode and average power tracking mode.

[0028] In some embodiments, the method further includes providing amplification in the ultra-high frequency band using a first power amplifier module, and providing amplification in the mid-frequency and high-frequency bands using a second power amplifier module.

[0029] In several embodiments, the method further includes generating a second shared power amplifier supply voltage for the third and fourth power amplifier modules using a second multi-mode power management unit. According to many embodiments, the first power amplifier module, the second power amplifier module, and the first multi-mode power management unit are attached to a first side of the telephone board assembly, and the third power amplifier module, the fourth power amplifier module, and the second multi-mode power management unit are attached to a second side of the telephone board assembly. According to some embodiments, no power lines cross the first and second sides. According to various embodiments, the method further includes providing amplification in the ultra-high frequency band using the first power amplifier module, providing amplification in the mid-frequency and high-frequency bands using the second power amplifier module, providing amplification in the low-frequency band using the third power amplifier module, and providing amplification in the mid-frequency and high-frequency bands using the fourth power amplifier module. According to several embodiments, the method further includes powering a fifth power amplifier module using the first shared power amplifier supply voltage, providing amplification in the low-frequency band using the fifth power amplifier module, powering a sixth power amplifier module using the second shared power amplifier supply voltage, and providing amplification in the mid-frequency and high-frequency bands using the sixth power amplifier module. According to many embodiments, the method also includes powering a seventh power amplifier module with a first shared power amplifier supply voltage, and using the seventh power amplifier module to amplify the second-generation cellular signal. Attached Figure Description

[0030] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of an example of a communication network.

[0031] Figure 2A This is a schematic diagram of an example of a communication link using carrier aggregation.

[0032] Figure 2B It shows Figure 2A Various examples of uplink carrier aggregation in communication links.

[0033] Figure 2C It shows Figure 2A Various examples of downlink carrier aggregation in communication links.

[0034] Figure 3A This is a schematic diagram of an example of a downlink channel using multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) communication.

[0035] Figure 3B This is a schematic diagram of an example of an uplink channel using MIMO communication.

[0036] Figure 3C This is a schematic diagram of another example of an uplink channel using MIMO communication.

[0037] Figure 4This is a schematic diagram of an example dual-connection network topology.

[0038] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of a telephone board assembly according to one embodiment.

[0039] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of a telephone board assembly according to another embodiment.

[0040] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of a telephone board assembly according to another embodiment.

[0041] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of a telephone board assembly according to another embodiment.

[0042] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of a telephone board assembly according to another embodiment.

[0043] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of a telephone board assembly according to another embodiment.

[0044] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of a mobile device.

[0045] Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram of a power amplifier system according to one embodiment.

[0046] Figure 13 This is a schematic diagram of an example of a power amplifier powered by the power amplifier's power supply voltage.

[0047] Figure 14A This is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of the encapsulation module.

[0048] Figure 14B yes Figure 14A A schematic diagram of the cross-section of the packaged module along line 14B–14B.

[0049] Figure 15A This is a graph illustrating the first example of the relationship between the power amplifier's supply voltage and time.

[0050] Figure 15B This is a second example of a graph showing the relationship between the power amplifier's supply voltage and time.

[0051] Figure 15C This is a graph illustrating the relationship between the power amplifier's supply voltage and time, as shown in the third example. Detailed Implementation

[0052] The following detailed description of specific embodiments presents various descriptions of those embodiments. However, the innovations described herein can be embodied in many different ways, such as those defined and covered by the claims. In this specification, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, wherein similar reference numerals may indicate the same or functionally similar elements. It should be understood that the elements shown in the figures are not necessarily drawn to scale. Furthermore, it should be understood that some embodiments may include more elements and / or a subset of the elements shown in the drawings than are shown in the drawings. Additionally, some embodiments may include any suitable combination of features from two or more drawings.

[0053] The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) responsible for global issues concerning information and communication technologies, including the global sharing of radio spectrum.

[0054] The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) is a collaboration among telecommunications standards organizations around the world, such as the Radio Industry and Business Association (ARIB), the Telecommunications Technology Committee (TTC), the China Communications Standards Association (CCSA), the Telecommunications Industry Solutions Alliance (ATIS), the Telecommunications Technology Association (TTA), the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI), and the Telecommunications Standards Development Institute of India (TSDSI).

[0055] 3GPP develops and maintains technical specifications for various mobile communication technologies within the ITU framework, including, for example, second-generation (2G) technologies (e.g., Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) and GSM Evolution Enhanced Data Rate (EDGE)), third-generation (3G) technologies (e.g., Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) and High-Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA)), and fourth-generation (4G) technologies (e.g., Long Term Evolution (LTE) and LTE-Advanced).

[0056] 3GPP-managed technical specifications can be expanded and revised through specification releases, which can span multiple years and specify new features and the breadth of evolution.

[0057] In one example, 3GPP introduced carrier aggregation (CA) for LTE in Release 10. While initially introducing two downlink carriers, 3GPP expanded carrier aggregation in Release 14 to include up to five downlink carriers and up to three uplink carriers. Other examples of new features and evolutions provided by 3GPP releases include, but are not limited to, Licensed Assisted Access (LAA), Enhanced LAA (eLAA), Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X), and High Power User Equipment (HPUE).

[0058] 3GPP introduced Phase 1 of fifth-generation (5G) technology in Release 15 and Phase 2 of 5G technology in Release 16. Subsequent 3GPP releases will further evolve and expand 5G technology. 5G technology is also referred to in this document as 5G New Radio (NR).

[0059] 5G NR supports or plans to support a variety of features, such as communication on the millimeter-wave spectrum, beamforming capabilities, high spectral efficiency waveforms, low latency communication, multiple radio digital technologies and / or non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA). While such RF capabilities provide network flexibility and increase user data rates, supporting them can present numerous technical challenges.

[0060] The teachings in this article apply to a variety of communication systems, including but not limited to those using advanced cellular technologies such as Advanced LTE, Advanced LTE Pro, and / or 5G NR.

[0061] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of an example of a communication network 10. The communication network 10 includes various examples of macro cell base station 1, small cell base station 3, and user equipment (UE), including a first mobile device 2a, a wirelessly connected car 2b, a laptop computer 2c, a fixed wireless device 2d, a wirelessly connected train 2e, a second mobile device 2f, and a third mobile device 2g.

[0062] although Figure 1 The illustration shows specific examples of base stations and user equipment, but communication networks can contain various types and / or numbers of base stations and user equipment.

[0063] For example, in the illustrated example, communication network 10 includes a macrocell base station 1 and a small cell base station 3. Compared to macrocell base station 1, small cell base station 3 can operate with relatively lower power, shorter range, and / or fewer concurrent users. Small cell base station 3 may also be referred to as a femtocell, picocell, or microcell. Although communication network 10 is shown as containing two base stations, communication network 10 can be implemented to contain more or fewer base stations and / or other types of base stations.

[0064] While various examples of user equipment are shown, the teachings herein apply to a wide range of user equipment, including but not limited to mobile phones, tablets, laptops, IoT devices, wearable electronic devices, customer premises equipment (CPE), wirelessly connected vehicles, wireless relays, and / or various other communication devices. Furthermore, user equipment includes not only currently available communication devices operating in cellular networks, but also communication devices subsequently developed that will be readily implemented using the inventive systems, processes, methods, and apparatus described and claimed herein.

[0065] Figure 1 The communication network 10 shown supports communication using various cellular technologies, including, for example, 4G LTE and 5G NR. In some implementations, the communication network 10 is also adapted to provide a wireless local area network (WLAN), such as WiFi. Although various examples of communication technologies have been provided, the communication network 10 can be adapted to support a wide range of communication technologies.

[0066] Figure 1 Various communication links of the communication network 10 have been described. Communication links can be duplexed in various ways, including, for example, using Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) and / or Time Division Duplex (TDD). FDD is a type of radio frequency communication that uses different frequencies to transmit and receive signals. FDD can offer many advantages, such as high data rates and low latency. In contrast, TDD is a type of radio frequency communication that uses approximately the same frequency to transmit and receive signals, switching between transmitting and receiving communication in time. TDD can offer many advantages, such as efficient use of spectrum and variable allocation of throughput between the transmitting and receiving directions.

[0067] In some implementations, user equipment can communicate with a base station using one or more of 4G LTE, 5G NR, and WiFi technologies. In some implementations, enhanced licensed assisted access (eLAA) is used to aggregate one or more licensed frequency carriers (e.g., licensed 4G LTE and / or 5G NR frequencies) with one or more unlicensed carriers (e.g., unlicensed WiFi frequencies).

[0068] like Figure 1 As shown, the communication link includes not only the communication link between the UE and the base station, but also UE-to-UE communication and base station-to-base station communication. For example, communication network 10 can be implemented to support self-fronthaul and / or self-backhaul (e.g., between mobile device 2g and mobile device 2f).

[0069] The communication link can operate on a variety of frequencies. In some implementations, communication using 5G NR technology is supported on one or more frequency bands below 6 GHz and / or on one or more frequency bands above 6 GHz. For example, the communication link may serve frequency range 1 (FR1), frequency range 2 (FR2), or a combination thereof. In one embodiment, one or more mobile devices support the HPUE power class specification.

[0070] In some implementations, base stations and / or user equipment use beamforming for communication. For example, beamforming can be used to focus signal strength to overcome path loss, such as the high loss associated with communication at high signal frequencies. In some embodiments, user equipment, such as one or more mobile phones, uses beamforming to communicate in the millimeter-wave band in the 30 GHz to 300 GHz range and / or at higher centimeter-wave frequencies in the 6 GHz to 30 GHz range (or more specifically, 24 GHz to 30 GHz).

[0071] Different users of communication network 10 can share available network resources, such as available spectrum, in various ways.

[0072] In one example, Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) is used to divide a frequency band into multiple frequency carriers. Additionally, one or more carriers are assigned to specific users. Examples of FDMA include, but are not limited to, Single-Carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA) and Orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA). OFDMA is a multi-carrier technique that subdivides available bandwidth into multiple mutually orthogonal narrowband subcarriers, which can be assigned to different users.

[0073] Other examples of shared access include, but are not limited to: Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), where specific time slots are allocated to users to use frequency resources; Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), where frequency resources are shared among different users by assigning a unique code to each user; Space Division Multiple Access (SDMA), where beamforming is used to provide shared access via space division; and Non-Orthogonal Multiple Access (NOMA), where the power domain is used for multiple access. For example, NOMA can be used to serve multiple users at the same frequency, time, and / or code but at different power levels.

[0074] Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB) refers to technologies used to increase the capacity of LTE network systems. For example, eMBB can refer to communication with a peak data rate of at least 10 Gbps and a minimum of 100 Mbps per user. Ultra-Reliable Low Latency Communication (uRLLC) refers to communication technologies with extremely low latency (e.g., less than 2 milliseconds). uRLLC can be used for mission-critical communications, such as autonomous driving and / or remote surgery applications. Massive Machine-Type Communication (mMTC) refers to low-cost, low-data-rate communication associated with wireless connectivity to everyday objects, such as communications associated with Internet of Things (IoT) applications.

[0075] Figure 1 The communication network 10 can be used to support various advanced communication features, including but not limited to eMBB, uRLLC and / or mMTC.

[0076] In some implementations, communication network 10 supports supplementary uplink (SUL) and / or supplementary downlink (SDL). For example, when channel conditions are good, communication network 10 can guide a specific UE to transmit using the original uplink frequency, while when channel conditions are poor (e.g., below a certain standard), communication network 10 can guide the UE to transmit using a supplementary uplink frequency lower than the original uplink frequency. Since cell coverage increases as the frequency decreases, SUL can be used to increase communication range and / or signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). Similarly, SDL can be used to transmit using the original downlink frequency when channel conditions are good, and SDL can be used to transmit using the supplementary downlink frequency when channel conditions are poor.

[0077] Figure 2A This is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a communication link using carrier aggregation. Carrier aggregation can be used to widen the bandwidth of a communication link by supporting communication on multiple frequency carriers, thereby increasing user data rates and enhancing network capacity by utilizing segmented spectrum allocation.

[0078] In the example shown, a communication link is provided between base station 21 and mobile device 22. Figure 2A As shown, the communication link includes a downlink channel for RF communication from base station 21 to mobile device 22, and an uplink channel for RF communication from mobile device 22 to base station 21.

[0079] although Figure 2A Carrier aggregation in the context of FDD communication is shown, but carrier aggregation can also be used for TDD communication.

[0080] In some implementations, the communication link can provide asymmetric data rates for downlink and uplink channels. For example, the communication link can be used to support relatively high downlink data rates for high-speed streaming of multimedia content to mobile devices, while providing relatively slow data rates for uploading data from mobile devices to the cloud.

[0081] In the example shown, base station 21 and mobile device 22 communicate via carrier aggregation, which can be used to selectively increase the bandwidth of the communication link. Carrier aggregation includes contiguous aggregation, where consecutive carriers within the same operating frequency band are aggregated. Carrier aggregation can also be non-contiguous and can include carriers that are frequency-separated within a common frequency band or in different frequency bands.

[0082] exist Figure 2A In the example shown, the uplink channel contains three aggregated component carriers f UL1 f UL2 and f UL3 In addition, the downlink channel contains five aggregated component carriers fDL1 f DL2 f DL3 f DL4 and f DL5 Although only one example of component carrier aggregation has been shown, more or fewer carriers can be aggregated for the uplink and / or downlink. Furthermore, the number of aggregated carriers can be varied over time to achieve desired uplink and downlink data rates.

[0083] For example, the number of aggregated carriers used for uplink and / or downlink communication with respect to a particular mobile device can change over time. For instance, the number of aggregated carriers can change as devices move within the communication network and / or as network usage changes over time.

[0084] Figure 2B It shows Figure 2A Various examples of uplink carrier aggregation in communication links. Figure 2B It includes a first carrier aggregation scenario 31, a second carrier aggregation scenario 32, and a third carrier aggregation scenario 33, which schematically describe three types of carrier aggregation.

[0085] Carrier aggregation scenarios 31-33 illustrate the first component carrier f UL1 Second component carrier f UL2 and the third component carrier f UL3 Different spectral allocations. Although Figure 2B This is illustrated in the context of aggregating three component carriers, but carrier aggregation can also be used to aggregate more or fewer carriers. Furthermore, although illustrated in the context of the uplink, the aggregation scenario also applies to the downlink.

[0086] First carrier aggregation scenario 31 illustrates intra-band contiguous carrier aggregation, where component carriers that are frequency-adjacent and in a common frequency band are aggregated. For example, first carrier aggregation scenario 31 describes adjacent component carriers f located within a first frequency band BAND1. UL1 f UL2 and f UL3 The aggregation of.

[0087] Continue to refer to Figure 2B The second carrier aggregation scenario 32 illustrates intra-band non-contiguous carrier aggregation, where two or more component carriers that are not frequency-adjacent but are within a common frequency band are aggregated. For example, the second carrier aggregation scenario 32 describes a non-contiguous component carrier f located within the first frequency band BAND1. UL1 f UL2 and f UL3 The aggregation of.

[0088] Third carrier aggregation scenario 33 illustrates inter-band discontinuous carrier aggregation, where component carriers that are not frequency-adjacent and exist in multiple frequency bands are aggregated. For example, third carrier aggregation scenario 33 depicts component carrier f of the first frequency band BAND1. UL1 and f UL2 With the component carrier f of the second frequency band BAND2 UL3 The aggregation of.

[0089] Figure 2C It shows Figure 2A Various examples of downlink carrier aggregation in communication links. These examples describe the use of the first component carrier f. DL1 Second component carrier f DL2 Third component carrier f DL3 The fourth component carrier f DL4 and the fifth component carrier f DL5 Various carrier aggregation scenarios with different spectrum allocations are shown in 34-38. Although illustrated in the context of aggregating five component carriers... Figure 2C However, carrier aggregation can be used to aggregate more or fewer carriers. Furthermore, although shown in the context of downlink, aggregation scenarios also apply to uplink.

[0090] The first carrier aggregation scenario 34 describes the aggregation of consecutive component carriers located within the same frequency band. Additionally, the second carrier aggregation scenario 35 and the third carrier aggregation scenario 36 illustrate two examples of aggregation that are not consecutive but located within the same frequency band. Furthermore, the fourth carrier aggregation scenario 37 and the fifth carrier aggregation scenario 38 illustrate two examples of aggregation where component carriers that are not frequency-adjacent and exist in multiple frequency bands are aggregated. As the number of aggregated component carriers increases, the complexity of the possible carrier aggregation scenarios also increases.

[0091] refer to Figures 2A-2C In carrier aggregation, the component carriers used can be of various frequencies, such as frequency carriers within the same or multiple frequency bands. Furthermore, carrier aggregation is suitable for implementations where the component carriers have approximately the same bandwidth and implementations where the component carriers have different bandwidths.

[0092] Some communication networks allocate a primary component carrier (PCC) or anchor carrier for the uplink and a PCC for the downlink to specific user equipment (UE). Additionally, UE uses a single frequency carrier for communication, whether for uplink or downlink. To enhance uplink communication bandwidth, the uplink PCC can be aggregated with one or more uplink secondary component carriers (SCCs). Similarly, to enhance downlink communication bandwidth, the downlink PCC can be aggregated with one or more downlink SCCs.

[0093] In some implementations, the communication network provides a network cell for each component carrier. Furthermore, the primary cell can operate using PCC (Pressure Capacity Control), while the secondary cell can operate using SCC (Specialized Control Capacity Control). For example, due to differences in carrier frequency and / or network environment, the primary and secondary cells can have different coverage areas.

[0094] Licensed Assisted Access (LAA) is a downlink carrier aggregation where licensed frequency carriers associated with a mobile operator are aggregated with frequency carriers in unlicensed spectrum (such as WiFi). LAA uses a downlink PCC in the licensed spectrum, which carries control and signaling information associated with the communication link, while unlicensed spectrum is aggregated when available to obtain wider downlink bandwidth. LAA can operate in a dynamically adjusted manner with secondary carriers to avoid coexistence with WiFi users. Enhanced Licensed Assisted Access (eLAA) is an evolution of LAA that aggregates both licensed and unlicensed spectrum for both downlink and uplink.

[0095] Figure 3A This is a schematic diagram of an example of a downlink channel using multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) communication. Figure 3B This is a schematic diagram of an example of an uplink channel using MIMO communication.

[0096] MIMO communication uses multiple antennas to simultaneously communicate multiple data streams on a common spectrum. In some implementations, the data streams operate with different reference signals to enhance data reception at the receiver. Due to spatial multiplexing differences in the radio environment, MIMO communication benefits from higher SNR, improved coding, and / or reduced signal interference.

[0097] MIMO order refers to the number of independent data streams transmitted or received. For example, the MIMO order of downlink communication can be described by the number of transmit antennas of the base station and the number of receive antennas of the UE (e.g., a mobile device). For example, 2x2 DL MIMO refers to MIMO downlink communication using two base station antennas and two UE antennas. Furthermore, 4x4 DL MIMO refers to MIMO downlink communication using four base station antennas and four UE antennas.

[0098] exist Figure 3A In the example shown, downlink MIMO communication is provided by using M antennas 43a, 43b, 43c, ... 43m of base station 41 for transmission and N antennas 44a, 44b, 44c, ... 44n of mobile device 42 for reception. Therefore, Figure 3A An example of mxn DL MIMO is shown.

[0099] Similarly, the MIMO order of uplink communication can be described by the number of transmit antennas of the UE (such as a mobile device) and the number of receive antennas of the base station. For example, 2x2 UL MIMO refers to MIMO uplink communication using two UE antennas and two base station antennas. Furthermore, 4x4 UL MIMO refers to MIMO uplink communication using four UE antennas and four base station antennas.

[0100] exist Figure 3B In the example shown, uplink MIMO communication is provided by transmitting using N antennas 44a, 44b, 44c, ... 44n of mobile device 42 and receiving using M antennas 43a, 43b, 43c, ... 43m of base station 41. Therefore, Figure 3B An example of nxm UL MIMO is shown.

[0101] By increasing the level or order of MIMO, the bandwidth of the uplink channel and / or downlink channel can be increased.

[0102] MIMO communication is suitable for various types of communication links, such as FDD and TDD communication links.

[0103] Figure 3C This is a schematic diagram of another example of an uplink channel using MIMO communication. Figure 3CIn the example shown, uplink MIMO communication is provided by transmitting using N antennas 44a, 44b, 44c, ... 44n of the mobile device 42. Additionally, the first portion of the uplink transmission is received using M antennas 43a1, 43b1, 43c1, ... 43m1 of the first base station 41a, while the second portion of the uplink transmission is received using M antennas 43a2, 43b2, 43c2, ... 43m2 of the second base station 41b. Furthermore, the first base station 41a and the second base station 41b communicate with each other via wired, optical, and / or wireless links.

[0104] Figure 3C The MIMO scenario illustrates an example of multiple base stations cooperating to facilitate MIMO communication.

[0105] With the introduction of the 5G NR air interface standard, 3GPP has allowed 5G and 4G standards to operate simultaneously to facilitate the transition. This mode can be called Non-Standalone (NSA) operation or E-UTRAN New Radio Dual Connectivity (EN-DC) and involves the simultaneous transmission of both 4G and 5G carriers from a User Equipment (UE).

[0106] In some EN-DC applications, dual-connectivity NSA involves extending 5G system coverage onto an existing 4G core network. For dual connectivity in such applications, control and synchronization between the base station and the UE can be performed by the 4G network, while the 5G network is a supplementary radio access network tethered to the 4G anchor. The 4G anchor can connect to the existing 4G network with coverage including 5G data / control.

[0107] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of an example dual-connectivity network topology. This architecture can leverage legacy LTE coverage to ensure service continuity and the phased rollout of 5G cells. UE 13 can simultaneously transmit dual uplink LTE and NR carriers. UE 13 can transmit the uplink LTE carrier T to eNB 11. x1 Simultaneously, send uplink NR carrier T to gNB 12 x2 This enables dual connectivity. In the exemplary network topology, uplink carrier T can be transmitted simultaneously via the wireless link. x1 T x2 and / or downlink carrier R x1 R x2 Any appropriate combination. eNB 11 can provide connectivity to a core network, such as Evolved Packet Core (EPC) 14. gNB 12 can communicate with the core network via eNB 11. Control plane data can be wirelessly transmitted between UE 13 and eNB 11. eNB 11 can also communicate control plane data with gNB 12. Control plane data can be transmitted along... Figure 4The path propagation is indicated by the dashed line. Figure 4 The solid lines in the diagram are used for data plane paths.

[0108] exist Figure 4 In example dual-connectivity topologies, any suitable combination of standardized frequency bands and radio access technologies (e.g., FDD, TDD, SUL, SDL) can be wirelessly transmitted and received. This can present technical challenges associated with operating multiple separate radios and frequency bands in UE 13. In the case of a TDD LTE anchor: network operation can be synchronous, in which case the operating mode can be restricted to T... x1 / T x2 and R x1 / R x2 Alternatively, network operations can be asynchronous, which may involve T. x1 / T x2 T x1 / R x2 R x1 / T x2 R x1 / T x2 R x1 / R x2 When the LTE anchor is a Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) carrier, TDD / FDD inter-band operation can involve simultaneous TDD / FDD operations. x1 / R x1 / T x2 and T x1 / R x1 / R x2 .

[0109] As mentioned above, EN-DC can involve simultaneously transmitting both 4G and 5G carriers from a UE. Transmitting both 4G and 5G carriers from a UE (such as a telephone) typically involves two power amplifiers (PAs) being active simultaneously. Traditionally, activating two power amplifiers simultaneously would involve placing one or more additional power amplifiers specifically designed for EN-DC operation. This results in additional board space and cost when designing to support such EN-DC / NSA operation.

[0110] Example of a power amplifier power control architecture for cellular UEs

[0111] Radio frequency (RF) communication devices may include multiple antennas to support wireless communication. Furthermore, RF communication devices may include a radio frequency front-end (RFFE) system, which processes signals received from and transmitted by the antennas. The RFFE system can provide many functions, including but not limited to signal filtering, signal segmentation and combining, control of component connections to the antennas, and / or signal amplification.

[0112] RFFE systems can be used to process various types of RF signals, including but not limited to wireless local area network (WLAN) signals, Bluetooth signals, and / or cellular signals. RFFE systems are also referred to as front-end systems in this document.

[0113] RFFE systems can be used to process signals of various frequencies. For example, some RFFE systems can operate using one or more low-frequency bands (e.g., RF signal bands with a frequency content of 1 GHz or less, also referred to herein as LB), one or more mid-frequency bands (e.g., RF signal bands with a frequency content between 1 GHz and 2.3 GHz, also referred to herein as MB), one or more high-frequency bands (e.g., RF signal bands with a frequency content between 2.3 GHz and 3 GHz, also referred to herein as HB), and one or more ultra-high-frequency bands (e.g., RF signal bands with a frequency content between 3 GHz and 7.125 GHz, also referred to herein as UHB). In some implementations, the module operates at both the mid-frequency and high-frequency (MHB) bands.

[0114] RFFE systems can be used in a variety of radio frequency communication devices, including but not limited to smartphones, base stations, laptops, mobile phones, wearable electronic devices and / or tablets.

[0115] RFFE systems can be implemented to support various features that enhance the bandwidth and / or other performance characteristics of the RF communication devices into which the RFFE system is incorporated.

[0116] For example, to support wider bandwidth, an increasing number of uplink carrier aggregation scenarios have been developed. Furthermore, the bandwidth used for uplink and downlink cannot be arbitrarily set because there is a minimum uplink bandwidth required to maintain a reliable link supported by the transport layer's ACK / NACK services. Therefore, in 4G / 5G, wideband uplink carrier aggregation should be supported to achieve higher bandwidth for downlink carrier aggregation.

[0117] Therefore, RFFE systems can be implemented to support both uplink and downlink carrier aggregation, providing flexibility to increase peak data rates. Carrier aggregation can be used for both Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) and Time Division Duplex (TDD), and can be used to aggregate multiple carriers or channels, such as up to five carriers. Carrier aggregation includes contiguous aggregation, where consecutive carriers within the same operating frequency band are aggregated. Carrier aggregation can also be non-contiguous and can include carriers that are frequency-separated within a common frequency band or in different frequency bands.

[0118] The transition from 4G to 5G is through non-standalone (NSA) operation, rather than a direct transition to fully standalone (SA) operation. The current network operates simultaneously in both 4G and 5G modes by communicating with both eNodeB and gNodeB in EN-DC operating mode. Therefore, in this type of communication, both 4G and 5G transmitters operate concurrently.

[0119] To provide this feature support, an RFFE system can be implemented to support EN-DC.

[0120] Support for EN-DC can cover a wide range of frequency bands, including the use of 4G bands in the LB, MHB, HB, or UHB frequency ranges combined with the use of 5G bands in the LB, MHB, HB, or UHB frequency ranges. Therefore, various combinations of EN-DC are possible, including but not limited to LB-LB EN-DC, MHB-MHB EN-DC, LB-MHB EN-DC, LB-UHB EN-DC, MHB-UHB EN-DC, and UHB-UHB EN-DC.

[0121] Furthermore, in certain dual uplink transmission scenarios, flexibility can be expected in switching which antenna transmits a first RF signal (e.g., one of a 4G or 5G signal) on the first side of the phone board assembly and which antenna transmits a second RF signal (e.g., another of a 4G or 5G signal) on the other side of the phone board assembly. To provide this flexibility, the RFFE system can support transmit switching functionality to selectively switch which antenna transmits a specific RF signal.

[0122] Another technique for increasing uplink capacity is uplink multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) communication, where multiple (e.g., two) power amplifiers use different antennas to simultaneously transmit two different signals at the same frequency. Due to spatial multiplexing differences in the radio environment, MIMO communication benefits from a higher signal-to-noise ratio, improved coding, and / or reduced signal interference. The MIMO order refers to the number of independent data streams transmitted or received.

[0123] The aforementioned multi-transmitter operation mode, combined with the increase in the number of power amplifiers in the UE, has resulted in a high number of power management units (PMUs), even though in most cases only two power amplifiers are transmitting simultaneously.

[0124] The higher number of PMUs not only leads to increased costs, but also to increased space on the phoneboard, which is a valuable commodity in premium UEs, where cellular functionality is just one of many subsystems.

[0125] The types of power amplifier supply voltage generation supported further complicate the PMU. For example, one technique for improving power amplifier efficiency is Average Power Tracking (APT), where a DC-DC converter generates a supply voltage for the power amplifier based on its average output power. Another technique for improving power amplifier efficiency is Envelope Tracking (ET), where the power amplifier's supply voltage is controlled in relation to the envelope of the RF signal. Therefore, when the voltage level of the RF signal envelope increases, the power amplifier's supply voltage level can increase. Similarly, when the voltage level of the RF signal envelope decreases, the power amplifier's supply voltage level can decrease to reduce power consumption.

[0126] This document provides a power management architecture for cellular user equipment (UE). For example, it provides power management unit (PMU) configurations to achieve a balance between frequently conflicting objectives. Such a balance may include, for example, (i) reducing the number of PMUs to achieve lower power management costs and smaller size for a given set of EN-DC / uplink CA / MIMO combinations; (ii) selecting the minimum number of PMUs that support all routing-restricted target EN-DC / uplink CA / MIMO scenarios; and / or (iii) reducing electromagnetic interference (EMI) radiation from the ET power line and preventing current resistance (IR) voltage drop by avoiding power line routing between two parts of the phoneboard assembly.

[0127] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of a telephone board assembly 120 according to one embodiment. The telephone board assembly 120 is used for a cellular UE (e.g., a mobile phone) and includes a first side (south side or bottom side) and a second side (north side or top side).

[0128] In some implementations of this paper, a telephone board assembly is implemented using two circuit boards, with a first side of the telephone board assembly corresponding to a first circuit board and a second side of the telephone board assembly corresponding to a second circuit board. However, other implementations are possible, including configurations such as using a single circuit board, where the first side corresponds to a first portion (e.g., the upper half) and the second side corresponds to a second portion (e.g., the lower half).

[0129] like Figure 5As shown, on the south side, there are a first average power tracking (APT) power management unit (PMU) 103, an envelope tracking (ET) PMU 101, a first low-band (LB) power amplifier (PA) module 110, a first mid-high frequency (MHB) PA module 113, a first UHB PA module 117, and a 2G PA module 119. Furthermore, on the north side, there are a second APT PMU 104, a second LB PA module 112, a second MHB PA module 114, and a second UHB module 118.

[0130] In the illustrated embodiment, the first APT PMU 103 provides a first APT power supply voltage to the first LB PA module 110 and the first UHB PA module 117. Furthermore, the ET PMU 101 provides an ET power supply voltage to the first LB PA module 110, the first MHB PA module 113, and the 2G PA module 119. Additionally, the second APT PMU 104 provides a second APT power supply voltage to the second LB PA module 112, the second MHB PA module 114, and the second UHB PA module 118.

[0131] like Figure 5 As shown, the power amplifier supply voltage used by the first LB PA module 110 can be switched between the first APT supply voltage and the ET supply voltage.

[0132] Table 1 below describes the operating modes supported by the telephone board component 120 and the corresponding PMU usage.

[0133] Table 1

[0134]

[0135] By adding a power switch to the first LB PA module 110, the number of supply domains can be reduced (and thus the number of PMUs).

[0136] also, Figure 5 The three-PMU solution supports all modes of the traditional four-PMU solution. Furthermore, due to the additional UHB PA module and LB PA module on the north side, it supports all operating modes of high-end 2G / 4G / 5G UEs, as it supports dual-transmission features for these frequency bands.

[0137] Furthermore, the LB PA module 110 can access both the ET and APT power domains. Therefore, the LB PA module 110 can use the ET power for high-power standalone mode and use the APT in the lower-power uplink CA / EN-DC mode of the LB.

[0138] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of a telephone board assembly 130 according to another embodiment. The telephone board assembly 130 includes a first side (south side) and a second side (north side). Figure 6 As shown, on the south side, there are APT PMU 103, ET PMU 101, first LB PA module 110, first MHB PA module 113, first UHB PA module 116, and 2G PA module 119. Furthermore, on the north side, there are second LBPA module 112, second MHB PA module 114, and second UHB module 118.

[0139] In the illustrated embodiment, APT PMU 103 provides APT power voltage to the first UHB PA module 116 and the first LB PA module 110 on the south side. Furthermore, the APT power voltage from the south-side APT PMU 103 is routed to the north side and provided to the second LB PA module 112, the second MHB PA module 114, and the second UHB PA module 118. ET PMU 101 provides ET power voltage to the first LB PA module 110, the first MHB PA module 113, the first UHB PA module 116, and the 2G PA module 119.

[0140] like Figure 6 As shown, the power amplifier power supply voltage used by the first LB PA module 110 can switch between the APT power supply voltage and the ET power supply voltage. Furthermore, the power amplifier power supply voltage used by the first UHB PA module 116 can switch between the APT power supply voltage and the ET power supply voltage.

[0141] Table 2 below describes the operating modes supported by the telephone board component 130 and the corresponding PMU usage.

[0142] Table 2

[0143]

[0144] By adding a first power switch to the first LB PA module 110 and a second power switch to the first UHB PA module 116, the number of power domains can be reduced (and thus the number of PMUs). Since the first UHB PA module 116 can access both the ET and APT power domains, it can use the ET power for high-power independent mode (if needed) and use the APT in uplink CA / EN-DC mode when the UHB power is low.

[0145] Figure 6The telephone board component 130 supports all operating modes of high-end 2G / 4G / 5G UEs.

[0146] and Figure 5 Compared to the telephone board assembly 120, Figure 6 The telephone board assembly 130 contains one less PMU, but still includes a north-south connection across the telephone board assembly 130, making it more susceptible to EMI.

[0147] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of a telephone board assembly 140 according to another embodiment. The telephone board assembly 140 includes a first side (south side) and a second side (north side). Figure 7 As shown, on the south side, there are ET / APT PMU 105, first LB PA module 111, first MHB PA module 113, first UHB PA module 117, and 2G PA module 119. Furthermore, on the north side, there are APT PMU 103, second LB PA module 112, second MHB PA module 114, and second UHB module 118.

[0148] In the illustrated embodiment, ET / APT PMU 105 provides ET / APT power voltage to the first LB PA module 111, the first MHB PA module 113, the first UHB PA module 117, and the 2G PA module 119. Furthermore, APT PMU 103 provides APT power voltage to the second LB PA module 112, the second MHB PA module 114, and the second UHB PA module 118.

[0149] Table 3 below describes the operating modes supported by the telephone board component 140 and the corresponding PMU usage.

[0150] Table 3

[0151]

[0152] about Figure 7 Since no power cord needs to cross the boundary between the two sides of the telephone board assembly 140, EMI and IR voltage drop issues are mitigated.

[0153] In this example, all PAs on the north side of telephone board assembly 140 are of APT type and can be supported by a single APT PMU, while the PAs on the south side are a hybrid of APT and ET, and can be supported by a single dual-mode PMU. Since the dual-mode power PMU is larger than a single ET PMU, therefore Figure 7 The power management solution for the telephone board component 140 is better than Figure 6 The telephone board component 130 power management solution is large.

[0154] Figure 7 The telephone board component 140 supports all operating modes of high-end 2G / 4G / 5G UEs.

[0155] refer to Figures 8-10 The described power management architecture is designed for mid-tier UEs that do not support ULMIMO, LB-LB EN-DC, or switching between transmitters on opposite sides of the telephone board assembly. Therefore, the complexity of this front-end system (e.g., the number of power amplifier modules) is reduced.

[0156] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of a telephone board assembly 200 according to another embodiment. The telephone board assembly 200 includes a first side (bottom side) and a second side (top side). Figure 8 As shown, the bottom side includes a first APT PMU 103, an ET PMU 101, a first MHB PA module 113, and a UHB PA module 117. Furthermore, the top side includes a second APT PMU 104, a second MHB PA module 114, and an LB / 2G PA module 107.

[0157] In the illustrated embodiment, the ET PMU provides the ET power supply voltage to the bottom-side first MHB PA module 113 and the top-side LB / 2G PA module 107. Furthermore, the first APT PMU 103 provides the first APT power supply voltage to the UHB PA module 117. Additionally, the second APT PMU 104 provides the second APT power supply voltage to the LB / 2G PA module 107 and the second MHB PA module 114.

[0158] like Figure 8 As shown, the power amplifier supply voltage used by the LB / 2G PA module can be switched between the second APT supply voltage and the ET supply voltage.

[0159] Table 4 below describes the operating modes supported by the telephone board component 200 and the corresponding PMU usage.

[0160] Table 4

[0161]

[0162] The number of PMUs can be reduced by adding a power voltage switch to the LB / 2G PA module 107. Furthermore, the LB / 2G PA module 107 can connect to both the ET and APT power domains, allowing the ET power to be used in high-power independent mode (if needed), and the APT to be used in uplink CA / EN-DC mode when the LB power is lower. All mid-range operating modes are also supported. However, the power management solution uses a top-to-bottom power line on the telephone board assembly 200, making it more susceptible to EMI.

[0163] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of a telephone board assembly 210 according to another embodiment. The telephone board assembly 210 includes a first side (bottom side) and a second side (top side). Figure 9 As shown, the bottom side includes an ET PMU 101, a first MHB PA module 113, and a UHB PA module 117. Furthermore, the top side includes an APT PMU 103, a second MHB PA module 114, and an LB / 2G PA module 107.

[0164] In the illustrated embodiment, ET PMU 101 provides ET power voltage to the bottom-side first MHB PA module 113 and the top-side LB / 2G PA module 107. Furthermore, APT PMU 103 provides APT power voltage to the bottom-side UHB PA module 117 and the top-side LB / 2G PA module 107 and second MHB PA module 114.

[0165] like Figure 9 As shown, the power amplifier supply voltage used by the LB / 2G PA module 107 can be switched between the APT supply voltage and the ET supply voltage.

[0166] Table 5 below describes the operating modes supported by the telephone board component 210 and the corresponding PMU usage.

[0167] Table 5

[0168]

[0169] The number of PMUs can be reduced by adding a power voltage switch to the LB / 2G PA module 107. Furthermore, the LB / 2G PA module 107 can connect to both the ET and APT power domains, allowing the ET power to be used in high-power independent mode (if needed), and the APT to be used in uplink CA / EN-DC mode when the LB power is lower. All mid-range operating modes are also supported. However, the power management solution uses a top-to-bottom power line on the telephone board assembly 210, making it more susceptible to EMI.

[0170] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of a telephone board assembly 220 according to another embodiment. The telephone board assembly 220 includes a first side (bottom side) and a second side (top side). Figure 10 As shown, the bottom side includes a first ET / APT PMU 105, a first MHB PA module 113, and a UHB PA module 117. Furthermore, the top side includes a second ET / APT PMU 106, a second MHB PA module 114, and an LB / 2G PA module 108.

[0171] In the illustrated embodiment, the first ET / APT PMU 105 provides a first ET / APT power supply voltage to the first MHB PA module 113 and the UHB PA module 117. Furthermore, the second ET / APT PMU 106 provides a second APT power supply voltage to the LB / 2G PA module 108 and the second MHB PA module 114.

[0172] Table 6 below describes the operating modes supported by the telephone board component 220 and the corresponding PMU usage.

[0173] Table 6

[0174]

[0175] Since no power lines cross the boundary between the two sides of the telephone board assembly 220, EMI and IR drop issues are mitigated. However, because the dual-mode power supply PMU is larger than the PMU of a single ET, Figure 10 The power management solution for the telephone board component 220 is better than Figure 9 The power management solution for the telephone board component 210 is large.

[0176] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of a mobile device 800. The mobile device 800 includes a baseband system 801, a transceiver 802, a front-end system 803, an antenna 804, a power management system 805, a memory 806, a user interface 807, and a battery 808.

[0177] Mobile device 800 can be used to communicate using a variety of communication technologies, including but not limited to 2G, 3G, 4G (including LTE, Advanced LTE and Advanced LTE-Pro), 5G-NR, WLAN (e.g. WiFi), WPAN (e.g. Bluetooth and ZigBee), WMAN (e.g. WiMax) and / or GPS technology.

[0178] Transceiver 802 generates RF signals for transmission and processes incoming RF signals received from antenna 804. It should be understood that various functions associated with the transmission and reception of RF signals can be implemented by one or more components, which in... Figure 11 This is commonly referred to as transceiver 802. In one example, a separate component (e.g., a separate circuit or die) may be provided to handle a specific type of RF signal.

[0179] The front-end system 803 helps to regulate signals sent to and / or received from the antenna 804. In the illustrated embodiment, the front-end system 803 includes an antenna tuning circuit 810, a power amplifier (PA) 811, a low-noise amplifier (LNA) 812, a filter 813, a switch 814, and a signal separation / combination circuit 815. However, other implementations are also possible.

[0180] For example, the front-end system 803 may provide a number of functions, including but not limited to amplifying the signal used for transmission, amplifying the received signal, filtering the signal, switching between different frequency bands, switching between different power modes, switching between transmit and receive modes, signal duplexing, signal multiplexing (e.g., duplex or triplex) or some combination thereof.

[0181] In some implementations, the mobile device 800 supports carrier aggregation, providing flexibility to increase peak data rates. Carrier aggregation can be used for both Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) and Time Division Duplex (TDD) and can be used to aggregate multiple carriers or channels. Carrier aggregation includes contiguous aggregation, where consecutive carriers within the same operating frequency band are aggregated. Carrier aggregation can also be non-contiguous and can include carriers that are frequency-separated within a common frequency band or in different frequency bands.

[0182] Antenna 804 may include antennas for various types of communication. For example, antenna 804 may include antennas for transmitting and / or receiving signals associated with various frequencies and communication standards.

[0183] In some implementations, antenna 804 supports MIMO communication and / or switched diversity communication. For example, MIMO communication uses multiple antennas to communicate multiple data streams on a single radio frequency channel. Due to spatial multiplexing differences in the radio environment, MIMO communication benefits from higher signal-to-noise ratios, improved coding, and / or reduced signal interference. Switched diversity refers to communication that selects a specific antenna to operate at a specific time. For example, a switch can be used to select a specific antenna from a set of antennas based on various factors such as observed bit error rate and / or signal strength indicators.

[0184] In some implementations, the mobile device 800 may operate using beamforming. For example, the front-end system 803 may include an amplifier with controllable gain and a phase shifter with controllable phase to provide beamforming and directivity for transmitting and / or receiving signals using antenna 804. For example, in the context of signal transmission, the amplitude and phase of the transmitted signal supplied to antenna 804 are controlled such that the radiated signal from antenna 804 is combined using constructive and destructive interference to generate a converged transmitted signal that exhibits beam-like quality with greater signal strength propagating in a given direction. In the context of signal reception, the amplitude and phase are controlled such that more signal energy is received when the signal arrives at antenna 804 from a specific direction. In some implementations, antenna 804 includes one or more antenna element arrays to enhance beamforming.

[0185] Baseband system 801 is coupled to user interface 807 to facilitate the processing of various user inputs and outputs (I / O) such as voice and data. Baseband system 801 provides a digital representation of the transmitted signals to transceiver 802, which processes this digital representation to generate RF signals for transmission. Baseband system 801 also processes a digital representation of the received signals provided by transceiver 802. Figure 11 As shown, the baseband system 801 is coupled to the memory 806 to facilitate the operation of the mobile device 800.

[0186] The memory 806 can be used for various purposes, such as storing data and / or instructions to facilitate the operation of the mobile device 800 and / or providing storage of user information.

[0187] The power management system 805 provides numerous power management functions for the mobile device 800. In some implementations, the power management system 805 includes PA power control circuitry that controls the power supply voltage of the power amplifier 811. For example, the power management system 805 can be configured to change the power supply voltage(s) supplied to one or more power amplifiers 811 to improve efficiency, such as power-added efficiency (PAE). The power management system 805 may include a PMU implemented according to the teachings herein. Therefore, the power management system 805 can be implemented according to any embodiment herein and used as a power management subsystem of the UE.

[0188] like Figure 11 As shown, the power management system 805 receives battery voltage from the battery 808. The battery 808 can be any suitable battery used in the mobile device 800, including, for example, a lithium-ion battery.

[0189] Figure 12This is a schematic diagram of a power amplifier system 860 according to one embodiment. The power amplifier system 860 includes a baseband processor 841, a transmitter / observation receiver 842, a power amplifier (PA) 843, a directional coupler 844, front-end circuitry 845, an antenna 846, PA bias control circuitry 847, and PA power control circuitry 848. The transmitter / observation receiver 842 includes an I / Q modulator 857, a mixer 858, and an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) 859. In some implementations, the transmitter / observation receiver 842 is incorporated into a transceiver.

[0190] The baseband processor 841 can be used to generate in-phase (I) and quadrature-phase (Q) signals, which can be used to represent a sine wave or a signal with desired amplitude, frequency, and phase. For example, the I signal can be used to represent the in-phase component of a sine wave, and the Q signal can be used to represent the quadrature-phase component of a sine wave, which can be an equivalent representation of the sine wave. In some implementations, the I and Q signals can be provided in digital format to the I / Q modulator 857. The baseband processor 841 can be any suitable processor configured to process baseband signals. For example, the baseband processor 841 can include a digital signal processor, a microprocessor, a programmable core, or any combination thereof. Furthermore, in some implementations, the power amplifier system 860 may include two or more baseband processors 841.

[0191] I / Q modulator 857 can be configured to receive I and Q signals from baseband processor 841 and process the I and Q signals to generate an RF signal. For example, I / Q modulator 857 may include a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) configured to convert the I and Q signals to analog format, a mixer for upconverting the I and Q signals to RF, and a signal combiner for combining the upconverted I and Q signals into an RF signal suitable for amplification by power amplifier 843. In some implementations, I / Q modulator 857 may include one or more filters configured to filter the frequency content of the signal processed therein.

[0192] The power amplifier 843 can receive RF signals from the I / Q modulator 857 and, when enabled, can provide amplified RF signals to the antenna 846 via the front-end circuitry 845.

[0193] The front-end circuitry 845 can be implemented in various ways. In one example, the front-end circuitry 845 includes one or more switches, filters, duplexers, multiplexers, and / or other components. In another example, the front-end circuitry 845 is omitted to allow the power amplifier 843 to directly provide the amplified RF signal to the antenna 846.

[0194] A directional coupler 844 senses the output signal of the power amplifier 823. Furthermore, the sensed output signal from the directional coupler 844 is provided to a mixer 858, which multiplies the sensed output signal by a reference signal of a controlled frequency. The mixer 858 generates a downshifted signal by downshifting the frequency content of the sensed output signal. The downshifted signal can be provided to an ADC 859, which converts the downshifted signal into a digital format suitable for processing by the baseband processor 841. Including a feedback path from the output of the power amplifier 843 to the baseband processor 841 can provide many advantages. For example, implementing the baseband processor 841 in this way can help provide power control, compensate for transmitter impairments, and / or perform digital predistortion (DPD). Although one example of the sensing path for the power amplifier is shown, other implementations are possible.

[0195] The PA power control circuit 848 receives power control signals from the baseband processor 841 and controls the power supply voltage of the power amplifier 843. In the illustrated configuration, the PA power control circuit 848 generates a first power supply voltage V for supplying power to the input stage of the power amplifier 843. CC1 and the second power supply voltage V used to power the output stage of the power amplifier 843 CC2 The PA power control circuit 848 can control the first power supply voltage V. CC1 and / or second power supply voltage V CC2 The voltage level is adjusted to enhance the PAE of the power amplifier system.

[0196] The PA power control circuit 848 can employ various power management techniques to change the voltage level of one or more power supply voltages over time to improve the power-added efficiency (PAE) of the power amplifier, thereby reducing power consumption.

[0197] One technique for improving the efficiency of power amplifiers is Average Power Tracking (APT), where a DC-DC converter generates a supply voltage for the power amplifier based on its average output power. Another technique for improving power amplifier efficiency is Envelope Tracking (ET), where the power amplifier's supply voltage is controlled in relation to the envelope of an RF signal. Therefore, when the voltage level of the RF signal envelope increases, the voltage level of the power amplifier's supply voltage can increase. Similarly, when the voltage level of the RF signal envelope decreases, the voltage level of the power amplifier's supply voltage can decrease to reduce power consumption.

[0198] In some configurations, the PA power control circuit 848 is a multi-mode power control circuit capable of operating in multiple power control modes, including APT mode and ET mode. For example, a power control signal from the baseband processor 841 can instruct the PA power control circuit 848 to operate in a specific power control mode.

[0199] like Figure 12 As shown, the PA bias control circuit 847 receives a bias control signal from the baseband processor 841 and generates a bias control signal for the power amplifier 843. In the illustrated configuration, the bias control circuit 847 generates bias control signals for both the input stage and the output stage of the power amplifier 843. However, other implementations are possible.

[0200] Figure 13 It is determined by the power amplifier power supply voltage V CC_PA A schematic diagram of an example of a power amplifier 1132 powered by electricity. (See diagram below.) Figure 13 As shown, inductor 1127 is used to convert the power amplifier power supply voltage V CC_PA The power amplifier 1132 is supplied from the PMU and is terminated by the output impedance matching circuit 1131.

[0201] The power amplifier 1132 shown includes a bipolar transistor 1129 having an emitter, a base, and a collector. For example... Figure 13 As shown, the emitter of the bipolar transistor 1129 is electrically connected to a low supply voltage V1, which V1 may be, for example, ground. Additionally, an RF signal (RF) is provided to the base of the bipolar transistor 1129. IN The bipolar transistor 1129 amplifies the RF signal to generate an amplified RF signal at its collector. The bipolar transistor 1129 can be any suitable device. In one embodiment, the bipolar transistor 1129 is a heterojunction bipolar transistor (HBT).

[0202] The output impedance matching circuit 1131 is used to terminate the output of the power amplifier 1132, which helps to increase the power transfer of the amplified RF signal generated by the power amplifier 1132 and / or reduce the reflection of the amplified RF signal. In some implementations, the output impedance matching circuit 1131 also operates to provide harmonic termination and / or control the load line impedance of the power amplifier 1132.

[0203] An inductor 1127 may be included to provide the power amplifier supply voltage V to the power amplifier 1132. CC_PASimultaneously, it chokes or blocks high-frequency RF signal components. Inductor 1127 may include a first terminal electrically connected to envelope tracker 1102 and a second terminal electrically connected to the collector of bipolar transistor 1129. In some implementations, inductor 1127 operates in combination with impedance matching circuitry 1131 to provide output matching.

[0204] although Figure 13 One implementation of power amplifier 1132 is shown, but those skilled in the art will understand that the teachings described herein can be applied to various power amplifier structures, such as multi-stage power amplifiers and power amplifiers employing other transistor structures. For example, in some implementations, the bipolar transistor 1129 may be omitted in order to employ field-effect transistors (FETs), such as silicon FETs, gallium arsenide (GaAs) high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs), or laterally diffused metal-oxide-semiconductor (LDMOS) transistors. Furthermore, power amplifier 1132 may be adapted to include additional circuitry, such as bias circuitry.

[0205] Figure 14A This is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of the encapsulation module 1300. Figure 14B yes Figure 14A A schematic diagram of the cross-section of the 1300 medium-sized package module along line 14B–14B.

[0206] Package module 1300 includes a power amplifier die 1301, a power switch die 1302, a surface mount assembly 1303, bonding wires 1308, a package substrate 1320, and a package structure 1340. Package substrate 1320 includes pads 1306 formed of conductors disposed therein. Furthermore, dies 1301 and 1302 include pads 1304, and bonding wires 1308 are used to connect the pads 1304 of dies 1301 and 1302 to the pads 1306 of package substrate 1320.

[0207] The power amplifier die 1301 and the power switch die 1302 are implemented according to one or more features of this disclosure. In some embodiments, the power switch die 1302 provides a selected power amplifier supply voltage to the power amplifier die 1301.

[0208] In some implementations, dies 1301 and 1302 are manufactured using different process technologies. In one example, power amplifier die 1301 is manufactured using a heterojunction bipolar transistor (HBT) process, while power switch die 1302 is manufactured using a silicon process.

[0209] The package substrate 1320 can be configured to accommodate multiple components, such as dies 1301, 1302 and surface mount assembly 1303, which may include, for example, surface mount capacitors and / or inductors.

[0210] like Figure 14B As shown, the package module 1300 includes a plurality of contact pads 1332 arranged on one side of the package module 1300, opposite to the side used for mounting dies 1301, 1302. Configuring the package module 1300 in this way facilitates its connection to a circuit board (such as a telephone board for a wireless device). Exemplary contact pads 1332 can be configured to provide radio frequency signals, bias signals, low power supply voltages, and / or high power supply voltages to dies 1301, 1302, and / or surface mount components 1303. Figure 14B As shown, the connection 1333 through the package substrate 1320 facilitates electrical connection between the contact pad 1332 and the die 1301. The connection 1333 can represent an electrical path formed through the package substrate 1320, such as a connection associated with a via and conductor in a multilayer laminated package substrate.

[0211] In some embodiments, the packaging module 1300 may further include one or more packaging structures, for example, to provide protection for the packaging module 1300 and / or facilitate handling of the packaging module 1300. Such packaging structures may include a secondary molding or packaging structure 1340 formed on the packaging substrate 1320 and components and dies disposed thereon.

[0212] It should be understood that although package module 1300 is described in the context of wire-based electrical connections, one or more features of this disclosure may also be implemented in other package configurations, including, for example, flip-chip configurations.

[0213] Figure 15A Figure 1447 is a first example illustrating the relationship between the power amplifier supply voltage and time. Figure 1447 shows the relationship between the RF signal voltage 1441, the RF signal envelope 1442, and the power amplifier supply voltage 1443 and time. Figure 1447 corresponds to an example waveform of an implementation where the power amplifier supply voltage 1443 is essentially fixed (DC).

[0214] It may be important that the power amplifier supply voltage 1443 is greater than the voltage of the radio frequency signal 1441. For example, using the power amplifier supply voltage (whose amplitude is smaller than that of the radio frequency signal) to power the power amplifier can clip the radio frequency signal, resulting in signal distortion and / or other problems. Therefore, it may be important that the power amplifier supply voltage 1443 is greater than the voltage of the envelope 1442. However, it may be desirable to reduce the voltage difference between the power amplifier supply voltage 1443 and the envelope 1442 of the radio frequency signal 1441, because the region between the power amplifier supply voltage 1443 and the envelope 1442 can represent lost energy, which can reduce battery life and increase heat generated in the wireless device.

[0215] Figure 15B Figure 1448 is a second example illustrating the relationship between the power amplifier supply voltage and time. Figure 1448 shows the relationship between the RF signal voltage 1441, the RF signal envelope 1442, and the power amplifier supply voltage 1444 as a function of time. Figure 1448 corresponds to an example of a waveform generated by envelope tracking to produce the power amplifier supply voltage 1444.

[0216] Envelope tracking is a technique used to improve the power-added efficiency (PAE) of a power amplifier system by effectively controlling the voltage level of the power amplifier's supply voltage in relation to the envelope of the RF signal amplified by the power amplifier. Therefore, increasing the envelope of the RF signal allows for an increase in the voltage supplied to the power amplifier. Similarly, decreasing the envelope of the RF signal allows for a decrease in the voltage supplied to the power amplifier to reduce power consumption.

[0217] and Figure 15A Compared to the power amplifier supply voltage of 1443, Figure 15B The power amplifier supply voltage 1444 changes in relation to the envelope 1442 of the RF signal 1441. Figure 15B The area between the power amplifier supply voltage 1444 and the envelope 1442 is smaller than Figure 15A The area between the power amplifier supply voltage 1443 and the envelope 1442, therefore... Figure 15B The figure 1448 can be associated with a power amplifier system with higher energy efficiency.

[0218] Figure 15CFigure 1449 is a third example illustrating the relationship between the power amplifier supply voltage and time. Figure 1449 shows the relationship between the voltage of the radio frequency signal 1441, the envelope 1442 of the radio frequency signal, and the power amplifier supply voltage 1445 as a function of time. Figure 1449 corresponds to an example of the waveform of an implementation of generating the power amplifier supply voltage 1445 via average power tracking (APT).

[0219] APT (Advanced Transmission Tracking) is a technique used to improve the efficiency of power amplifiers, in which the voltage level of the power amplifier supply voltage is controlled based on the average output power of the power amplifier. When operating with APT, the voltage level of the power amplifier supply voltage can be substantially fixed within a specific time slot, but can be adjusted for subsequent time slots based on the average output power (e.g., the transmission power control level). APT can achieve efficiency gains relative to a fixed power amplifier supply voltage, but the efficiency gains are smaller compared to envelope tracking. However, envelope tracking can be more complex, costly, and / or have higher overhead than APT.

[0220] application

[0221] The embodiments described above provide examples relevant to mobile devices. However, the principles and advantages of these embodiments can be used in any other system or device that requires a UHB architecture. Examples of such radio frequency communication systems include, but are not limited to, mobile phones, tablets, base stations, network access points, client equipment (CPE), laptops, and wearable electronic devices.

[0222] in conclusion

[0223] Unless the context explicitly requires otherwise, throughout the specification and claims, the words “comprising,” “including,” etc., should be interpreted in an inclusive sense, not in an exclusive or exhaustive sense; that is, in the sense of “including but not limited to.” The term “coupled,” as commonly used herein, refers to two or more elements that can be directly connected or connected via one or more intermediate elements. Similarly, the term “connected,” as commonly used herein, refers to two or more elements that can be directly connected or connected via one or more intermediate elements. Furthermore, the words “here,” “above,” “below,” and similar terms used in this application should refer to the application as a whole, and not to any particular part of the application. Where the context permits, singular or plural terms used in the above detailed description may also include plural or singular terms, respectively. The word “or” refers to a list of two or more items, and covers all of the following interpretations of the word: any item in the list, all items in the list, and any combination of items in the list.

[0224] Furthermore, the conditional language used herein, such as, but not limited to, “may,” “can,” “possibly,” “can,” “for example,” “e.g.,” “such as,” etc., unless otherwise expressly stated or otherwise understood in the context in which they are used, is generally intended to convey that certain embodiments include certain features, elements, and / or states, while other embodiments do not. Therefore, such conditional language generally does not imply that one or more embodiments require features, elements, and / or states in any way, or that one or more embodiments must, with or without author input or prompting, include logic for determining whether such features, elements, and / or states are included in any particular embodiment or whether they should be performed in any particular embodiment.

[0225] The foregoing detailed description of embodiments of the present invention is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed above. While specific embodiments and examples of the invention have been described above for illustrative purposes, various equivalent modifications can be made within the scope of the invention, as will be recognized by those skilled in the art. For example, when processes or blocks are presented in a given order, alternative embodiments may execute routines with steps in a different order, or use systems with blocks in a different order, and some processes or blocks may be deleted, moved, added, subdivided, combined, and / or modified. Each of these processes or blocks can be implemented in various different ways. Furthermore, although processes or blocks are sometimes shown as being executed serially, they may be executed in parallel or at different times.

[0226] The teachings of this invention provided herein can be applied to other systems, not necessarily those described above. Elements and actions of the various embodiments described above can be combined to provide further embodiments.

[0227] While certain embodiments of the invention have been described, these embodiments are presented by way of example only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. In fact, the novel methods and systems described herein can be embodied in many other forms; furthermore, various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made to the forms of the methods and systems described herein without departing from the spirit of the invention. The appended claims and their equivalents are intended to cover such forms or modifications that fall within the scope and spirit of the invention.

Claims

1. A mobile device, comprising: A transceiver configured to generate low-frequency radio frequency signals; The front-end system includes a shared low-frequency band and a second-generation power amplifier module, which is configured to amplify the low-frequency band radio frequency signal in low-frequency band mode and amplify the second-generation radio frequency signal in second-generation mode. as well as A power management system includes an envelope tracking power management unit configured to provide an envelope tracking power supply voltage to the shared low-frequency band and second-generation power amplifier modules, and a first average power tracking power management unit configured to provide an average power tracking power supply voltage to the shared low-frequency band and second-generation power amplifier modules. The shared low-frequency band and second-generation power amplifier modules include a power voltage switch configured to select the envelope tracking power supply voltage in second-generation mode and the average power tracking power supply voltage in low-frequency band mode. The front-end system further includes a first intermediate frequency band and a high frequency band power amplifier module configured to receive power from the envelope tracking power supply voltage, and a second intermediate frequency band and a high frequency band power amplifier module configured to receive power from the average power tracking power supply voltage.

2. The mobile device according to claim 1, wherein, The front-end system also includes an ultra-high frequency power amplifier module configured to receive power from the average power tracking supply voltage.

3. The mobile device according to claim 1, wherein, The power management system further includes an ultra-high frequency band power amplifier module and a second average power tracking power management unit, the second average power tracking power management unit being configured to provide power to the ultra-high frequency band power amplifier module.

4. The mobile device according to claim 1, wherein, The first average power tracking power management unit and the shared low-frequency band and second-generation power amplifier module are located on the first side of the mobile device, and the envelope tracking power management unit is located on the second side of the mobile device. In the second-generation mode, the envelope tracking power supply voltage crosses from the second side to the first side.

5. The mobile device according to claim 1, wherein, The low-frequency radio frequency signal is a fourth-generation signal or a fifth-generation signal.

6. A telephone board assembly for a mobile phone, the telephone board assembly comprising: A shared low-frequency band and second-generation power amplifier module, wherein the shared low-frequency band and second-generation power amplifier module is configured to amplify low-frequency band radio frequency signals in low-frequency band mode and amplify second-generation radio frequency signals in second-generation mode; An envelope tracking power management unit is configured to provide an envelope tracking power supply voltage to the shared low-frequency band and second-generation power amplifier module. as well as A first average power point tracking (APTS) power management unit is configured to provide an ATS power supply voltage to the shared low-frequency band and second-generation power amplifier modules. The shared low-frequency band and second-generation power amplifier modules include a power supply voltage switch configured to select the envelope tracking power supply voltage in second-generation mode and the ATS power supply voltage in low-frequency band mode. The telephone board assembly also includes a first intermediate frequency band and a high frequency band power amplifier module configured to receive power from the envelope tracking power supply voltage, and a second intermediate frequency band and a high frequency band power amplifier module configured to receive power from the average power tracking power supply voltage.

7. The telephone board assembly of claim 6, further comprising an ultra-high frequency power amplifier module, wherein the first average power tracking power management unit is configured to provide power to the ultra-high frequency power amplifier module.

8. The telephone board assembly of claim 6 further includes an ultra-high frequency power amplifier module and a second average power tracking power management unit, the second average power tracking power management unit being configured to provide power to the ultra-high frequency power amplifier module.

9. The telephone board assembly according to claim 6, wherein, The first average power tracking power management unit and the shared low-frequency band and second-generation power amplifier module are located on the first side of the telephone board assembly, and the envelope tracking power management unit is located on the second side of the telephone board assembly. In the second-generation mode, the envelope tracking power supply voltage crosses from the second side to the first side.

10. The telephone board assembly of claim 6, wherein, The low-frequency radio frequency signal has a frequency content of 1 GHz or less.

11. The telephone board assembly according to claim 6, wherein, The low-frequency radio frequency signal is a fourth-generation signal or a fifth-generation signal.

12. A power management method in a mobile device, the method comprising: Amplify low-frequency radio signals in low-frequency mode using a shared low-frequency band and a second-generation power amplifier module; The shared low-frequency band and the second-generation power amplifier module are used to amplify the second-generation radio frequency signal in the second-generation mode; An envelope tracking power management unit is used to provide envelope tracking power voltage to the shared low-frequency band and second-generation power amplifier modules. The first average power tracking power management unit is used to provide average power tracking power voltage to the shared low-frequency band and second-generation power amplifier modules. The envelope tracking power supply voltage is selected in the second-generation mode using the power supply voltage switch of the shared low-frequency band and the second-generation power amplifier module; and The average power tracking power supply voltage is selected in the low-frequency mode using the power supply voltage switch of the shared low-frequency band and the second-generation power amplifier module. The method further includes using the envelope tracking power supply voltage to power the first intermediate frequency band and high frequency band power amplifier modules, and using the average power tracking power supply voltage to power the second intermediate frequency band and high frequency band power amplifier modules.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising using the first average power tracking power management unit to provide power to the ultra-high frequency power amplifier module.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising using a second average power tracking power management unit to provide power to the ultra-high frequency power amplifier module.

15. The method according to claim 12, wherein, The first average power tracking power management unit and the shared low-frequency band and second-generation power amplifier module are located on a first side of the mobile device, and the envelope tracking power management unit is located on a second side of the mobile device. The method further includes providing the envelope tracking power supply voltage from the second side to the first side in the second-generation mode.

16. The method according to claim 12, wherein, The low-frequency radio frequency signal has a frequency content of 1 GHz or less.

17. The method according to claim 12, wherein, The low-frequency radio frequency signal is a fourth-generation signal or a fifth-generation signal.

18. A mobile device, comprising: A transceiver configured to generate a first radio frequency signal and a second radio frequency signal; The front-end system includes a first power amplifier module configured to amplify a first radio frequency signal, a second power amplifier module configured to amplify a second radio frequency signal, and a second power amplifier module configured to amplify a second-generation cellular signal. Both the first power amplifier module and the second power amplifier module are configured to provide amplification in the mid-frequency band and the high-frequency band. as well as A power management system comprising: an envelope tracking power management unit configured to generate a first shared power amplifier supply voltage for a first power amplifier module and a second-generation power amplifier module; and an average power tracking power management unit configured to generate a second shared power amplifier supply voltage for the second power amplifier module and the second-generation power amplifier module, the second-generation power amplifier module being switchable between a first mode using the first shared power amplifier supply voltage and a second mode using the second shared power amplifier supply voltage, the second-generation power amplifier module including an integrated switch that selects the first shared power amplifier supply voltage in the first mode and selects the second shared power amplifier supply voltage in the second mode.

19. The mobile device according to claim 18, wherein, The mid-frequency band has frequency content between 1 GHz and 2.3 GHz, and the high-frequency band has frequency content between 2.3 GHz and 3 GHz.

20. The mobile device according to claim 18, wherein, The front-end system further includes a third power amplifier module configured to amplify a third radio frequency signal, and the power management system further includes an additional average power tracking power management unit configured to generate a power amplifier supply voltage for the third power amplifier module.

21. The mobile device according to claim 20, wherein, The third power amplifier module is configured to provide amplification in the ultra-high frequency band.

22. The mobile device according to claim 21, wherein, The ultra-high frequency band has frequency content between 3 GHz and 7.125 GHz.

23. The mobile device according to claim 18, wherein, The first power amplifier module and the envelope tracking power management unit are located on the first side of the mobile device, and the second power amplifier module, the second generation power amplifier module and the average power tracking power management unit are located on the second side of the mobile device.

24. The mobile device according to claim 23, wherein, The power supply voltage of the first shared power amplifier spans from the first side to the second side, while the power supply voltage of the second shared power amplifier does not span between the first side and the second side.

25. A telephone board assembly for a mobile phone, the telephone board assembly comprising: A first power amplifier module, configured to amplify a first radio frequency signal; A second power amplifier module is configured to amplify a second radio frequency signal, and both the first power amplifier module and the second power amplifier module are configured to provide amplification in the mid-frequency band and the high-frequency band. The second-generation power amplifier module is configured to amplify second-generation cellular signals; An envelope tracking power management unit is configured to generate a first shared power amplifier supply voltage for the first power amplifier module and the second generation power amplifier module; as well as An average power tracking power management unit is configured to generate a second shared power amplifier supply voltage for the second power amplifier module and the second generation power amplifier module. The second generation power amplifier module can switch between a first mode using the first shared power amplifier supply voltage and a second mode using the second shared power amplifier supply voltage. The second generation power amplifier module includes an integrated switch that selects the first shared power amplifier supply voltage in the first mode and selects the second shared power amplifier supply voltage in the second mode.

26. The telephone board assembly of claim 25, wherein, The mid-frequency band has frequency content between 1 GHz and 2.3 GHz, and the high-frequency band has frequency content between 2.3 GHz and 3 GHz.

27. The telephone board assembly of claim 25, further comprising a third power amplifier module configured to amplify a third radio frequency signal and an additional average power tracking power management unit configured to generate a power amplifier supply voltage for the third power amplifier module.

28. The telephone board assembly of claim 27, wherein, The third power amplifier module is configured to provide amplification in the ultra-high frequency band.

29. The telephone board assembly of claim 25, wherein, The first power amplifier module and the envelope tracking power management unit are attached to a first side of the telephone board assembly, and the second power amplifier module, the second generation power amplifier module and the average power tracking power management unit are attached to a second side of the telephone board assembly.

30. The telephone board assembly of claim 29, wherein, The power supply voltage of the first shared power amplifier spans from the first side to the second side, while the power supply voltage of the second shared power amplifier does not span between the first side and the second side.

31. The telephone board assembly according to claim 28, wherein, The ultra-high frequency band has frequency content between 3 GHz and 7.125 GHz.

32. A power management method in a mobile device, the method comprising: The first radio frequency signal is amplified using the first power amplifier module; The second radio frequency signal is amplified using a second power amplifier module, and both the first power amplifier module and the second power amplifier module are configured to provide amplification in the mid-frequency band and the high-frequency band. Second-generation cellular signals are amplified using a second-generation power amplifier module. The envelope tracking power management unit is used to generate a first shared power amplifier power supply voltage for the first power amplifier module and the second generation power amplifier module. The average power tracking power management unit is used to generate the second shared power amplifier supply voltage for the second power amplifier module; as well as The second-generation power amplifier module switches between a first mode using the first shared power amplifier power supply voltage and a second mode using the second shared power amplifier power supply voltage. The second-generation power amplifier module includes an integrated switch that selects the first shared power amplifier power supply voltage in the first mode and selects the second shared power amplifier power supply voltage in the second mode.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the intermediate frequency band has frequency content between 1 GHz and 2.3 GHz, and the high frequency band has frequency content between 2.3 GHz and 3 GHz.

34. The method according to claim 32, wherein, The first power amplifier module and the envelope tracking power management unit are attached to a first side of the telephone board assembly, and the second power amplifier module, the second generation power amplifier module and the average power tracking power management unit are attached to a second side of the telephone board assembly.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein the first shared power amplifier power supply voltage crosses from the first side to the second side, and the second shared power amplifier power supply voltage does not cross between the first side and the second side.

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