Power detection of individual carriers of aggregated carriers

Abstract

Aspects of the present disclosure relate to detecting power associated with individual carriers of a carrier aggregation signal. In an embodiment, a carrier aggregation system includes a radio frequency (RF) source, a transmit output, and a directional coupler. The RF sources, such as power amplifiers, may each be associated with a separate carrier. The transmit output may provide a carrier aggregation signal including an aggregation of the separate carriers associated with the RF sources. The directional coupler may provide an indication of the RF power of one of the separate carriers.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of the invention patent application "Power detection of individual carriers of aggregated carriers" with application date of June 24, 2016 and application number 201610836311.0.

[0002] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0003] This application claims priority under 35 USC §119(e) to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 185,507, filed on June 26, 2016, entitled “POWER DETECTION OF INDIVIDUAL CARRIERS OF AGGREGATED CARRIERS,” the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0004] The present disclosure relates to electronic systems, and in particular to radio frequency (RF) circuits. Background Art

[0005] Some systems in the uplink channel of Long Term Evolution (LTE) use a single uplink carrier. The uplink channel can be from a handheld device to a base station. The carrier can be a signal modulated with an input signal to send information. The carrier is usually at a much higher frequency than the input signal. The carrier can be a radio frequency signal. In an LTE system that utilizes a single uplink carrier, power control is usually maintained by using one or more directional couplers and one or more associated power detectors. In such a system, it is usually not necessary to control the power of multiple transmissions.

[0006] In LTE-Advanced, carrier aggregation can increase bandwidth, thereby increasing data transmission rates. Carrier aggregation can combine carriers at the device to increase user data rates within the cell coverage area. Carrier aggregation can provide relatively high peak data rates, increased data rates for all users within the cell, and higher capacity for bursty applications. Specified limits on total carrier power in LTE-Advanced carrier aggregation systems can be difficult to meet. Summary of the invention

[0007] The innovations described in the claims each have several aspects, no single one of which is solely responsible for its desirable multiple attributes. Without limiting the scope of the claims, some of the prominent features of the disclosure will now be described briefly.

[0008] One aspect of the present disclosure is a carrier aggregation system, which includes RF sources, such as power amplifiers, each RF source is associated with a separate carrier. The system includes: a transmit output configured to provide a carrier aggregation signal. For example, the transmit output can be an output configured to provide a carrier aggregation signal to an antenna, such as a transmit output of a frequency multiplexing circuit (such as a diplexer or a triplexer). The carrier aggregation signal includes an aggregation of separate carriers associated with the RF sources. The device also includes: a directional coupler configured to provide an indication of the RF power of one of the separate carriers.

[0009] The carrier aggregation signal may be in accordance with the Advanced Long Term Evolution standard. The carrier aggregation signal may be an inter-band carrier aggregation signal. Alternatively or additionally, the carrier aggregation signal may be an intra-band carrier aggregation signal.

[0010] The system may include a frequency multiplexing circuit, wherein a directional coupler is located in a signal path between one of the RF sources and the frequency multiplexing circuit. In some other embodiments, the system may include a frequency multiplexing circuit coupled between the RF source and the directional coupler. A dual multiplexer is an example of a frequency multiplexing circuit.

[0011] The system may include a band selective switch, wherein the directional coupler is located in a signal path between one of the RF sources and the band selective switch. The system may additionally include a band pass filter, wherein the band selective switch is coupled between the directional coupler and the band pass filter.

[0012] The system may include a second directional coupler and a frequency multiplexing circuit. The directional coupler and the second directional coupler may be associated with different ones of the RF sources. The frequency multiplexing circuit may be coupled between the transmit output and the directional coupler, and between the transmit output and the second directional coupler.

[0013] The system may include a power detector coupled to a directional coupler. In some embodiments, the system may include a multi-throw switch coupled between the directional coupler and the power detector.

[0014] Another aspect of the present disclosure is a power amplifier system with carrier aggregation. The system includes a power amplifier, a transmit output, and a detection output. The power amplifier includes a first power amplifier associated with at least a first carrier and a second power amplifier associated with a second carrier. The transmit output is configured to provide a carrier aggregation signal including an aggregation of at least the first carrier and the second carrier. For example, the transmit output can be an output configured to provide a carrier aggregation signal to an antenna, such as a transmit output of a frequency multiplexing circuit (e.g., a double multiplexer or a triple multiplexer). The detection output is configured to provide an indication of the power of an individual carrier of the aggregated carrier. The individual carrier is a first carrier or a second carrier. The detection output can be, for example, an output of a directional coupler, an output of a power detector, or an output of a frequency multiplexing circuit coupled between a directional coupler and two or more power detectors.

[0015] The system may be configured for uplink channel communications. In some embodiments, the system may include a bandpass filter and a directional coupler, wherein the directional coupler is located in a signal path between the first power amplifier and the bandpass filter. According to certain embodiments, the system may include a first directional coupler associated with the first power amplifier, a second directional coupler associated with the second power amplifier, a frequency multiplexing circuit coupled between the transmit output and the first directional coupler and coupled between the transmit output and the second directional coupler. In several embodiments, the system may include a directional coupler and a frequency multiplexing circuit coupled between the power amplifier and the directional coupler.

[0016] Another aspect of the present disclosure is a carrier aggregation circuit, which includes: a radio frequency (RF) source, the RF source including a first RF source associated with a first carrier and a second RF source associated with a second carrier; a frequency multiplexing circuit configured to provide a carrier aggregation signal, the carrier aggregation signal including an aggregation of the first carrier and the second carrier; and a device for providing an indication of the RF power of one of the separate carriers.

[0017] Another aspect of the present disclosure is a mobile wireless communication device. The device includes: an antenna configured to transmit a radio frequency (RF) signal, a power amplifier each associated with a separate carrier, a frequency multiplexing circuit coupled between the antenna and the power amplifier, and a directional coupler configured to provide an indication of the RF power of a selected one of the separate carriers. The frequency multiplexing circuit is configured to provide a carrier aggregation signal to the antenna, wherein the carrier aggregation signal includes an aggregation of at least two of the separate carriers associated with the power amplifier.

[0018] In some embodiments, the mobile wireless communication device includes a band select switch, and the directional coupler is arranged in a signal path between one of the power amplifiers and the band select switch. According to some embodiments, the mobile wireless communication device includes a band pass filter, and the directional coupler is arranged in a signal path between one of the power amplifiers and the band pass filter. In several embodiments, the mobile wireless communication device includes: a second directional coupler configured to provide an indication of the RF power of a different one of the separated carriers. According to some embodiments, the directional coupler is coupled between the frequency multiplexing circuit and the antenna.

[0019] Another aspect of the present disclosure is a power amplifier module comprising: power amplifiers, each power amplifier being associated with a separate carrier; a transmitting node configured to provide a carrier aggregation signal for transmission; and a directional coupler configured to provide an indication of a radio frequency (RF) power of a selected one of the separate carriers. The carrier aggregation signal comprises an aggregation of the separate carriers associated with the power amplifier.

[0020] In some embodiments, the power amplifier module includes a band select switch, and the directional coupler is located in a signal path between the band select switch and a first power amplifier of the power amplifier. According to certain embodiments, the power amplifier module includes a transmit / receive switch, and the directional coupler is located in a signal path between the band select switch and a first power amplifier of the power amplifier. The power amplifier module may include a power detector configured to receive an indication of RF power.

[0021] The power amplifier module may include a frequency multiplexing circuit coupled between the transmitting node and each of the power amplifiers. In some such implementations, the power amplifier module includes a duplexer coupled between the frequency multiplexing circuit and one of the power amplifiers.

[0022] Another aspect of the present disclosure is a method of detecting power associated with individual carriers of a carrier aggregation signal. The method includes providing an aggregated carrier; detecting an indication of power of a first carrier in the aggregated carrier; and separately from detecting the indication of power of the first carrier, detecting an indication of power of a second carrier in the aggregated carrier.

[0023] The method may be performed in a mobile device.The method may further include adjusting a power associated with a radio frequency (RF) signal provided to an RF source associated with the first carrier based at least in part on the indication of the power of the first carrier.

[0024] In some embodiments, detecting an indication of the power of the first carrier may be based on the output of a directional coupler coupled between a frequency multiplexing circuit and an antenna. According to certain embodiments, detecting an indication of the power of the first carrier is based on the output of a first directional coupler, and detecting an indication of the power of the second carrier is based on the output of a second directional coupler. In such embodiments, the first directional coupler may be coupled between a power amplifier and a multi-throw RF switch. In several embodiments, detecting an indication of the power of the first carrier and detecting an indication of the power of the second carrier are both performed using the output of a single directional coupler. For example, detecting an indication of the power of the first carrier may be performed using a first power detector, and detecting an indication of the power of the second carrier may be performed using a second power detector. In some such embodiments, detecting an indication of the power of the first carrier and detecting an indication of the power of the second carrier may be performed non-simultaneously.

[0025] Another aspect of the present disclosure is an electronically implemented method that includes receiving an indication of power of an individual carrier of an aggregated carrier, the aggregated carrier including an aggregation of the individual carrier and at least another individual carrier; and adjusting power associated with a radio frequency (RF) signal provided to an RF source associated with the individual carrier based at least in part on the indication of power of the individual carrier. The method may be performed, for example, in a mobile device.

[0026] Another aspect of the present disclosure is an apparatus comprising a feedback control circuit and an amplifier. The feedback control circuit is configured to receive an indication of power of an individual carrier of an aggregated carrier and generate a control signal based at least in part on the indication of power of the individual carrier. The amplifier is configured to receive the control signal and cause the power associated with the individual carrier to be adjusted based at least in part on the control signal.

[0027] The apparatus may include a second amplifier. The feedback control circuit may be configured to receive an indication of a power of another individual carrier of the aggregated carrier and to generate a second control signal based at least in part on the indication of the power of the another individual carrier. The second amplifier may be configured to receive the second control signal. The second amplifier may be configured such that the power associated with the another individual carrier is adjusted based at least in part on the second control signal.

[0028] To summarize the present disclosure, certain aspects, benefits, and novel features of the innovations have been described herein. It should be understood that not all such benefits may be achieved according to any particular embodiment. Thus, the innovations may be implemented or performed in a manner that achieves or optimizes one benefit or a group of benefits as taught herein without necessarily achieving other benefits that may be taught or suggested herein. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0029] Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described by way of non-limiting examples with reference to the following drawings.

[0030] Figure 1A is a schematic diagram of an electronic system for detecting power of individual carriers of a carrier aggregation signal according to an embodiment.

[0031] Figure 1B is a schematic diagram of an example electronic system for detecting power of individual carriers of a carrier aggregation signal according to another embodiment.

[0032] Figure 1C is a schematic diagram of an example electronic system for detecting power of individual carriers of a carrier aggregation signal according to another embodiment.

[0033] Figure 2A is a schematic diagram of an electronic system with uplink carrier aggregation and power detection of individual carriers according to an embodiment.

[0034] Figure 2B is a schematic diagram of an electronic system with uplink carrier aggregation and power detection of individual carriers according to another embodiment.

[0035] Figure 2C is a schematic diagram of an electronic system with uplink carrier aggregation and power detection of individual carriers according to another embodiment.

[0036] Figure 2D , 2E , 2F, and 2G are schematic diagrams of example electronic modules according to certain embodiments.

[0037] Figure 3A is a schematic diagram of an electronic system with uplink carrier aggregation and power detection of individual carriers according to an embodiment.

[0038] Figure 3B is a schematic diagram of an electronic system with uplink carrier aggregation and power detection of individual carriers according to another embodiment. Figure 3C yes Figure 3B Schematic diagram of the timing of time division duplexing with non-overlapping transmissions and associated power consumption in an electronic system.

[0039] Figure 4A is a schematic diagram of an electronic system with uplink carrier aggregation and power detection of individual carriers according to another embodiment. Figure 4B yes Figure 4A Schematic diagram of the timing of time division duplexing with overlapping transmissions and associated power consumption in an electronic system.

[0040] Figure 5Ais a schematic diagram of an electronic system with uplink carrier aggregation and power detection of individual carriers according to another embodiment.

[0041] Figure 5B is a schematic diagram of an electronic system with carrier aggregation and power detection of individual carriers according to another embodiment.

[0042] Figure 5C is a schematic diagram of an electronic system with carrier aggregation and power detection of individual carriers according to another embodiment.

[0043] Fig. 6A is a schematic diagram of a closed-loop power control system according to an embodiment.

[0044] Figure 6B is a schematic diagram of controlling the power of a separate carrier of a carrier aggregation signal according to an embodiment.

[0045] Figure 6C is a schematic diagram of a closed-loop power control system according to another embodiment.

[0046] Figure 7 is a schematic block diagram of an example wireless communication device that may include any combination of features for power detection of individual carriers of an aggregate signal discussed herein. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0047] The following detailed description of certain embodiments introduces various descriptions of specific embodiments. However, the innovations described herein may be implemented in many different ways, such as defined and covered by the claims. In this specification, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, in which similar reference numerals and / or symbols may indicate identical or functionally similar elements. It should be understood that the elements shown in the drawings are not necessarily depicted to scale. In addition, it should be understood that certain embodiments may include more elements than shown in the figures and / or a subset of the elements shown in the figures. In addition, some embodiments may include any suitable combination of features from two or more of the accompanying drawings.

[0048] As described above, in Advanced-LTE, carrier aggregation can increase bandwidth, thereby increasing data transmission rate. The carrier can be a radio frequency (RF) signal having a frequency in the range of from 300MHz to 300GHz, for example, for a radio frequency signal in an LTE system, in the range of from about 500MHz to about 5GHz. The RF circuit discussed herein can provide an indication of the power of a carrier aggregation RF signal and a separate carrier of the carrier aggregation signal. Carrier aggregation can be used for both frequency division duplex (FDD) and time division duplex (TDD). Carrier aggregation can be used to aggregate multiple carriers or channels. For example, up to five carriers can be aggregated in certain applications. Carrier aggregation can be achieved by contiguous aggregation, in which contiguous carriers in the same operating frequency band are aggregated. Alternatively or additionally, carrier aggregation is non-contiguous and may include carriers separated in frequency in a common frequency band or in different frequency bands. Carrier aggregation can beneficially provide relatively high peak data rates, increased data rates for all users in a cell, and higher capacity for burst applications.

[0049] Uplink carrier aggregation for LTE-Advanced systems may benefit from power control of multiple carriers transmitted simultaneously. It may be beneficial to control the carrier power so that the combined power of the aggregated carriers does not exceed the power specification granted for a single carrier. This may result in, for example, a power reduction of about 3 dB for each carrier in certain applications, but may be varied so that the total power remains within specified limits.

[0050] The present disclosure provides methods, systems and devices for detecting the power of individual carriers of aggregated carriers. Therefore, separate power measurements can be made on two or more individual carriers of an aggregated carrier. This can provide accurate power detection and control of each individual carrier of the aggregated carrier to maintain the total power of the aggregated carrier within certain limits. Such a method can be implemented in an FDD system and / or a TDD system, in inter-band carrier aggregation and / or intra-band carrier aggregation, in carrier aggregation and / or systems with various frequency band spacings, in systems with varying target output powers, and the like. Among other things, the method for detecting and / or controlling the power of individual carriers of an aggregated carrier and the corresponding system may depend on the type of system (e.g., FDD system versus TDD system), the characteristics of carrier aggregation (e.g., intra-band versus inter-band), and / or specific system specifications (e.g., target output power). Any suitable principles and benefits of the methods, systems and / or devices discussed herein can be implemented in a mobile device and / or in conjunction with an uplink channel from a handheld device to a base station.

[0051] According to an embodiment, a carrier aggregation system includes an RF source such as a power amplifier, a transmit output, and a directional coupler. Each power source is associated with a separate carrier. The transmit output can provide a carrier aggregation signal including an aggregation of separate carriers associated with the RF source. The directional coupler is arranged to provide an indication of the RF power of a separate carrier.

[0052] An example system architecture is provided that implements power coupling via radio frequency (RF) directional couplers, power detection, and closed-loop feedback so that the RF output power of each carrier can be adjusted to meet system specifications. According to one or more embodiments discussed herein, a packaged electronic component may include a power amplifier, a directional coupler, and a switch. In certain implementations, such a packaged component may also include a filter and / or a dual multiplexer and / or a triple multiplexer.

[0053] Figure 1A 1 is a schematic diagram of an electronic system 1 for detecting the power of a separate carrier of a carrier aggregation signal according to an embodiment. An electronic system arranged to provide a carrier aggregation signal may be referred to as a carrier aggregation system. As shown, the electronic system 1 includes RF sources 2A to 2N, aggregation and processing circuitry 3, and a transmission output 4, which is configured to provide a carrier aggregation signal including an aggregation of two or more separate carriers associated with the RF source. Each of the RF sources 2A to 2N is associated with a separate carrier. Each of the RF sources 2A to 2N may include a power amplifier. Any suitable number of RF sources 2A to 2N may be implemented. The aggregation and processing circuitry 3 may receive RF signals from the RF sources 2A to 2N and provide a carrier aggregation signal to the transmission output 4. The transmission output 4 may be any suitable transmission output arranged to provide a carrier aggregation signal. The transmission output 4 may be electrically coupled to an antenna, which is arranged to transmit the carrier aggregation signal. The transmission output 4 may be a terminal of a frequency multiplexer coupled to the antenna. The transmission output 4 may be a port of a directional coupler 12 coupled to the antenna.

[0054] The aggregation and processing circuit 3 may include a directional coupler 12. A termination impedance 13 (e.g., a termination resistor) may be electrically connected to an isolation port of the directional coupler 12. The directional coupler 12 may provide an indication of the RF power of a selected one of the separated carriers at the coupling port CPL. The detection output may be any suitable output for providing an indication of the power of the individual carriers of the aggregated carrier. The coupling port CPL of the directional coupler 12 may be used as a detection output for providing an indication of the power of the individual carriers of the aggregated carrier. In some other implementations, a power detector is coupled to the coupling port CPL of the directional coupler, and the output of the power detector may be used as the detection output. According to another implementation, the output of a frequency multiplexing circuit may be used as the detection output, wherein the frequency multiplexing circuit is coupled between the directional coupler and two or more power detectors.

[0055] One or more directional couplers of the aggregation and processing circuit 3 may be used to achieve accurate power detection of each separated carrier of the carrier aggregation signal, which may be used to control and / or maintain the total power of the carrier aggregation signal within specified limits. The aggregation and processing circuit 3 may include any other suitable circuits to process signals from the RF sources 2A to 2N, and / or to aggregate signals from the RF sources 2A to 2N. For example, in addition to at least one directional coupler 12, the aggregation and processing circuit 3 may include one or more RF switches, one or more band limiting filters, one or more duplexers, one or more frequency multiplexing circuits (e.g., one or more double multiplexers and / or one or more triplexers), or any combination thereof.

[0056] Figure 1B and 1C is a schematic diagram of an example electronic system for detecting the power of individual carriers of a carrier aggregation signal according to some embodiments. Each of these electronic systems is Figure 1A An example of an electronic system 1 comprising Figure 1A Additional details of the aggregation and processing circuit 3, also including the antenna 19. Figure 1B and 1C The electronic systems each include an RF source, a transmit output, and at least one directional coupler. As shown, these systems also include frequency multiplexing circuits. The RF sources, such as power amplifiers, are each associated with a separate carrier. The transmit output is configured to provide a carrier aggregation signal, which is an aggregation of two or more separate carriers associated with the RF source. The directional coupler is configured to provide an indication of the RF power of a selected one of the separate carriers.

[0057] Figure 1B is a schematic diagram of an electronic system 5 for detecting the power of a single carrier of a carrier aggregation signal according to an embodiment. Figure 1B As shown, the electronic system 5 includes RF sources 2A and 2B, directional couplers 12A and 12B having terminal impedances 13A and 13B, respectively, a frequency multiplexing circuit 6 (e.g., a dual multiplexer), and an antenna 19. The transmit output 4 can provide a carrier aggregation signal to the antenna 19, where the carrier aggregation signal is an aggregation of separate carriers associated with the RF sources 2A and 2B. As shown, the transmit output can be a terminal of the frequency multiplexing circuit 6 electrically coupled to the antenna 19. The carrier aggregation signal can be an FDD carrier aggregation signal or a TDD carrier aggregation signal.

[0058] The directional couplers 12A and 12B may provide an indication of the RF power of the individual carriers at coupling ports CPLA and CPLB, respectively. Each of these coupling ports may be used as a detection output for providing an indication of the power of the individual carriers of the aggregated carriers provided at the transmit output. For the case of a single carrier providing a non-carrier aggregation signal to the antenna 19, an indication of the RF power may also be provided. Each directional coupler 12A and 12B may be configured to perform over a specific frequency range associated with the corresponding carrier of the RF sources 2A and 2B, respectively. In addition, the directional couplers 12A and 12B of the electronic system 5 may be arranged so that they should not affect the receive path associated with the antenna 19 (if any). Figure 1B In the embodiment, each of the directional couplers 12A and 12B is arranged in the signal path between the RF sources 2A and 2B and the frequency multiplexing circuit 6, respectively. Figure 1B As shown in FIG. 1 , one or more RF switches and filters may also be present in the signal path between each respective directional coupler 12A and 12B and the frequency multiplexing circuit 6. Examples of such circuits are shown in FIG. Figures 2A to 2C Furthermore, more than two carriers may be aggregated, and similar paths may exist for each separate carrier aggregated according to the principles and advantages discussed herein.

[0059] Figure 1C FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of an electronic system 7 for detecting the power of a single carrier of a carrier aggregation signal according to another embodiment. Figure 1C As shown, the electronic system 7 includes RF sources 2A and 2B, a frequency multiplexing circuit 6 (e.g., a dual multiplexer), a directional coupler 12 having a terminal impedance 13, and an antenna 19. The carrier aggregation signal provided to the antenna 19 can be an aggregation of separate carriers associated with the RF sources 2A and 2B. As shown, the transmit output can be a port of the directional coupler 12 electrically coupled to the antenna 19. The carrier aggregation signal can be a TDD carrier aggregation signal.

[0060] A single directional coupler 12 may provide an indication of the RF power of an individual carrier provided to the antenna 19 at a coupling port CPL associated with the individual carrier. The electronic system 7 may be implemented with a single directional coupler 12 that may provide an indication of the power associated with each individual carrier of the carrier aggregation signal provided by the frequency multiplexing circuit 6. In certain implementations, such as in applications with TDD carrier aggregation utilizing non-overlapping transmissions, a single power detector may be implemented in conjunction with the directional coupler 12 to detect the power associated with each individual carrier of the carrier aggregation signal. According to other implementations, such as in applications with TDD carrier aggregation utilizing overlapping transmissions, a duplexer or duplex filter, etc. may be arranged between the directional coupler 12 and the plurality of power detectors.

[0061] like Figure 1C As shown, the directional coupler 12 is arranged in the signal path between the frequency multiplexing circuit 6 and the antenna 19. Figure 1C As shown in FIG. 1 , other circuit elements, such as one or more RF switches, may also be present in the signal path between the directional coupler 12 and the antenna 19. Examples of such circuits are shown in FIG. Figure 4A In addition, additional circuits may be arranged in the signal paths between the RF sources 2A and 2B and the frequency multiplexing circuit 6, respectively. Examples of such features are as follows: Figure 3B and 4A shown.

[0062] Multiple directional couplers located in the signal path of a single carrier of an aggregated carrier can be used to implement inter-band carrier power detection for FDD and / or TDD systems. Each directional coupler can be arranged between the corresponding power amplifier of a single carrier and one or more corresponding band limiting filters (which can be bandpass filters). The band limiting filter can isolate the RF signal associated with the corresponding power amplifier from the RF signal from one or more other power amplifiers. The band limiting filter can mitigate out-of-band emissions, filter out receive band noise, reject out-of-band blocking signals (blockers) that can produce intermodulation (IM) products in the power amplifier, etc., or any combination thereof. This can generally come from alternating transmissions in carrier aggregation, and such IM products can cause interference with other transmissions and / or receptions. Having a directional coupler between the power amplifier output and the band limiting filter can enable simultaneous power measurement of each carrier without interference from one or more other carriers.

[0063] Figures 2A to 2C An exemplary electronic system is shown that includes a directional coupler in the signal path between a power amplifier and a corresponding band-limiting filter for each carrier. Figures 2A to 2C Any suitable principles and advantages of the discussed embodiments may be implemented in combination with each other and / or in combination with any other embodiments discussed herein.An electronic system including a power amplifier may be referred to as a power amplifier system.

[0064] Figure 2A1 is a schematic diagram of an electronic system 10 with carrier aggregation and power detection of individual carriers according to an embodiment. The electronic system 10 can implement inter-band carrier power detection for FDD and / or TDD. In the electronic system 10, a directional coupler is arranged between a power amplifier and an RF switch, such as a band selection switch or a transmit / receive switch. Each directional coupler can be arranged for enhanced and / or optimized performance of a specific frequency range associated with a corresponding carrier. In the electronic system 10, the directional coupler 12 shown should not contribute to the insertion loss between the antenna 19 and any receive path (not shown).

[0065] The electronic system 10 shown includes power amplifiers 11A and 11B, directional couplers 12A and 12B, terminal impedances 13A and 13B, power detectors 14A and 14B, RF switches 8A and 8B, filters 9A and 9B, antenna switch 17, frequency multiplexing circuit 6, and antenna 19. The first power amplifier 11A and the second power amplifier 11B can provide a radio frequency (RF) signal that can be aggregated at a transmit output such as the output of the frequency multiplexing circuit 6 for transmission through the antenna 19. The power amplifiers 11A and 11B are examples of RF sources that provide RF signals. The first power amplifier 11A can be associated with a first carrier. The first power amplifier 11A can receive a first carrier and a first input signal and provide a first amplified RF signal. The second power amplifier 11B can be associated with a second carrier separated from the first carrier.

[0066] The first directional coupler 12A and the first power detector 14A can be used to detect the power associated with the first amplified RF signal provided by the first power amplifier 11A. Any suitable terminal impedance 13A, such as a 50Ohm terminal resistor, can be electrically connected to the first directional coupler 12A. As shown, the first directional coupler 12A can be arranged in the signal path between the first power amplifier 11A and the filter 9A. The RF switch 8A can selectively electrically connect the first power amplifier 11A to the filter 9A.

[0067] A second directional coupler 12B can be used to detect the power associated with the second amplified RF signal provided by the second power amplifier 11B. A second power detector 14B can provide an indication of the power of the second carrier in the electronic system 10. The second directional coupler 12B and the second power detector 14B can detect the power associated with the RF signal provided by the second power amplifier 11B. The RF switch 8B can selectively electrically connect the second power amplifier 11A to the filter 9B. The filters 9A and 9B can have different passbands. For example, the passbands of the filters 9A and 9B can correspond to different subbands within the transmission band defined by the LTE standard, and / or correspond to different transmission bands defined by the LTE standard. The RF switches 8A and 8B can be multi-throw RF switches.

[0068] The antenna switch 17 may selectively electrically connect the first filter 9A and / or the second filter 9B to the frequency multiplexing circuit 6. The frequency multiplexing circuit 6 may provide the carrier aggregation signal to the antenna 19 for transmission.

[0069] Figure 2B is a schematic diagram of an electronic system 10' with uplink carrier aggregation and power detection of individual carriers according to an embodiment. The electronic system 10' can implement inter-band carrier power detection for FDD and / or TDD. In the electronic system 10', a directional coupler is arranged between a multi-mode multi-band (MMMB) power amplifier and a band selection switch. Figure 2B The circuit shown in can provide a coupled power path associated with a separate carrier in a carrier aggregation operation and also for single carrier operation. Each directional coupler can be arranged for enhanced and / or optimized performance for a specific frequency range associated with a corresponding carrier. For example, the terminal impedance provided to the isolation port of the directional coupler can be selected to have an impedance associated with a specific frequency range of the RF signal provided by the corresponding power amplifier. In the electronic system 10', there is no directional coupler between the antenna and the receiving path. This can reduce the losses associated with receiving the signal from the antenna.

[0070] The electronic system 10' shown includes power amplifiers 11A and 11B, directional couplers 12A and 12B, terminal impedances 13A and 13B, power detectors 14A and 14B, band selection switches 15A and 15B, duplexers 16A and 16B, antenna switches 17A and 17B, a dual multiplexer 18, and an antenna 19. Figure 2B In the circuit shown, a first power amplifier 11A and a second power amplifier 11B may provide a radio frequency (RF) signal that may be aggregated for transmission by an antenna 19 . Figure 2BThe frequency domain of an example signal provided by power amplifiers 11A and 11B and the frequency domain of an example carrier aggregation transmit signal provided to antenna 19 are shown. Power amplifiers 11A and 11B are examples of RF sources that provide RF signals. The first power amplifier 11A can be associated with a first carrier. The first power amplifier 11A can receive the first carrier and a first input signal and provide a first amplified RF signal. The second power amplifier 11B can be associated with a second carrier separate from the first carrier.

[0071] The first directional coupler 12A and the first power detector 14A can be used to detect the power associated with the first amplified RF signal provided by the first power amplifier 11A. Any suitable terminal impedance 13A, such as a 50Ohm terminal resistor, can be electrically connected to the first directional coupler 12A. As shown in the figure, the first directional coupler 12A can be arranged in the signal path between the first power amplifier 11A and the transmission bandpass filter of the first duplexer 16A. As shown in the figure, the first duplexer 16A also includes a receiving filter. The band selector switch 15A can selectively electrically connect the first power amplifier 11A or other circuit elements to the transmission bandpass filter of the first duplexer 16A.

[0072] The power associated with the second amplified RF signal provided by the second power amplifier 11B can be detected simultaneously with the power associated with the first amplified RF signal provided by the first power amplifier 11A. In the electronic system 10', the first directional coupler 12A can provide an indication of the power of the first carrier, and the second directional coupler 12B can provide an indication of the power of the second carrier. In addition, in the electronic system 10', the first power detector 14A provides an indication of the power of the first carrier, and the second power detector 14B provides an indication of the power of the second carrier. The second directional coupler 12B and the second power detector 14B can detect the power associated with the RF signal provided by the second power amplifier 11B. As shown in Figure 1, the second directional coupler 12B can be arranged in the signal path between the second power amplifier 11B and the transmit bandpass filter of the second duplexer 16B. The transmit bandpass filter of the second duplexer 16B may have a passband different from the transmit bandpass filter of the first duplexer 16A. For example, the passbands of the transmit bandpass filters of the duplexers 16A and 16B may correspond to different subbands within the transmit frequency band defined by the LTE standard. The band selection switch 15B may selectively electrically connect the second power amplifier 11B or other circuit elements to the transmission bandpass filter of the second duplexer 16B. The band selection switches 15A and 15B may be multi-throw RF switches.

[0073] In the illustrated electronic system 10', relatively high isolation of each detected carrier signal relative to other carriers can be provided due to the isolation provided by one or more of (1) out-of-band filtering of each duplexer 16A / 16B, (2) out-of-band isolation of the antenna duplexer 18, and (3) the directionality of the forward port of the directional coupler 12A or 12B to the reverse traveling waves of the remaining interfering carrier.

[0074] The first antenna switch 17A can selectively electrically connect the first duplexer 16A or other circuit elements (e.g., another duplexer associated with a different operating frequency band) to the dual multiplexer 18. The second antenna switch 17B can selectively electrically connect the second duplexer 16B or other circuit elements to the dual multiplexer 18. The dual multiplexer 18 is a frequency domain multiplexing circuit that can, for example, implement frequency domain multiplexing of RF signals received from the duplexers 16A and 16B through the antenna switches 17A and 17B, respectively.

[0075] Electronic system 10' shows FDD duplex filters combined via dual multiplexer 18. Any suitable principles and benefits discussed with reference to electronic system 10' may be implemented in conjunction with other electronic systems, such as TDD converged systems with surface acoustic wave (SAW) filters, bulk acoustic wave (BAW) filters, and / or film bulk acoustic resonator (FBAR) filters having additional transmit / receive switches for each frequency band and / or additional transmit / receive throws in each frequency band select switch.

[0076] Figure 2C is a schematic diagram of an electronic system 10″ with carrier aggregation and power detection of individual carriers according to another embodiment. The electronic system 10″ is similar to Figure 2A The electronic system 10, wherein Figure 2A The RF switches 8A and 8B are implemented by the transmit / receive switches 21A and 21B, respectively, and the antenna switch 17 is not shown, and Figure 2A The frequency multiplexing circuit 6 is implemented by a double multiplexer 18. The electronic system 10" is similar to Figure 2B The electronic system 10' is shown in FIG. 1 , except that transmit / receive switches 21A and 21B are implemented respectively instead of the band selection switches 15A and 15B, corresponding changes are made to the signal path between the switches and the dual multiplexer 18, and the antenna switch 17 is not shown. Some embodiments of the electronic system 10" may include the antenna switch 17 in the signal path between the filters 9A and 9B and the dual multiplexer 18.

[0077] The electronic system 10″ includes filters 9A and 9B in the signal path between the transmit / receive switches 21A and 21B and the corresponding ports of the double multiplexer 18. By comparison, Figure 2B The electronic system 10' includes band select switches 15A and 15B electrically coupled to Figure 2B The electronic system 10" also shows low noise amplifiers 22A and 22B of the receiving path. Figure 2C Filters 9A and 9B shown in FIG. 1 can each be used to pass frequencies associated with a particular carrier. For example, in some implementations, filter 9A can be configured to pass frequencies associated with band 39 carriers. According to some such implementations, dual multiplexer 18 can provide a carrier aggregation signal to the antenna, wherein the carrier aggregation signal aggregates the band 39 carrier with the band 41 carrier.

[0078] The electronic systems discussed in this article, such as Figures 2A to 2C The electronic system of the present invention may be implemented in various electronic modules. An electronic module configured to process RF signals may be referred to as an RF module. An electronic module including one or more power amplifiers may be referred to as a power amplifier module. An electronic module may be a packaged module including multiple components on a package substrate. Some such packaged modules may be multi-chip modules. Figure 2D , 2E , 2F and 2G are schematic diagrams of exemplary electronic modules according to certain embodiments. The electronic module can be implemented according to any of the principles and benefits discussed herein. Some or all of the features of any electronic system discussed herein can be implemented in an electronic module.

[0079] Figure 2D FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary electronic module 25 according to an embodiment. The electronic module 25 may implement Figure 2C As shown, the electronic module 25 includes a power amplifier 11, a directional coupler 12 having a terminal impedance 13, a transmit / receive switch 21, and a control circuit 26. The electronic module 25 has a contact RF_IN (e.g., a pin, a bump, etc.) configured to receive an RF input for transmission. The electronic module 25 has a contact CPL_OUT arranged to provide an indication of an RF power associated with an RF signal provided by the power amplifier 11, a contact RX arranged to provide a received signal, and a contact RF_OUT configured to provide an RF transmit output. In one application, the electronic module 25 can be used to provide a band 39 carrier in a band 39 / band 41 uplink carrier aggregation system.

[0080] Figure 2E is a schematic diagram of an exemplary electronic module 25' according to an embodiment. The electronic module 25' can implement Figure 2B As shown, the electronic module 25' includes power amplifiers 11A and 11B, directional couplers 12A and 12B having terminal impedances 13A and 13B, respectively, power detectors 14A and 14B, and RF switches 15A and 15B.

[0081] Figure 2F is a schematic diagram of an exemplary electronic module 25" according to an embodiment. The electronic module 25" may implement Figure 2B The electronic module 25" is similar to the electronic system 10'. Figure 2E The electronic module 25' includes filter groups 27A and 27B in addition to the electronic module 25". The filter groups 27A and 27B can implement any suitable filtering. For example, the filter groups 27A and 27B can each implement a set of transmit filters. As another example, the filter groups 27A and / or 27B can implement transmit and receive filters. In an embodiment, the filter groups 27A and 27B can implement Figure 2B A duplexer of an electronic system 10'.

[0082] Figure 2G is a schematic diagram of an exemplary electronic module 25'' according to an embodiment. The electronic module 25'' may implement Figure 2B The electronic module 25"' is similar to Figure 2F The electronic module 25'' also includes antenna switches 17A and 17B in addition to the electronic module 25''.

[0083] In a TDD system, a single directional coupler can detect the RF power associated with each carrier when the transmit slot timing of each carrier does not overlap with another carrier. Therefore, each carrier can transmit when the other channel is in receive mode or standby mode. This enables accurate power detection for non-overlapping transmit TDD systems.

[0084] Figure 3A and 3B Schematic diagram of an electronic system with uplink carrier aggregation and power detection of individual carriers according to certain embodiments. These electronic systems can implement power detection of individual carriers of aggregated carriers in a system configured to transmit non-overlapping transmission TDD carrier aggregation signals. When carrier aggregation is controlled in a manner that the transmissions associated with the individual carriers do not overlap, the effective uplink and downlink data rates can be increased. The power of the individual carriers can be detected at different times, and an indication of the detected power of each carrier can be used to control the power of the corresponding carrier. TDD with non-overlapping transmissions can limit the peak power supply / battery current by turning on only one power amplifier at a time. Figure 3A and 3B The electronic systems each include a single directional coupler 12 and a single power detector 14 to provide an indication of the power of an individual carrier for providing closed loop power control of each carrier. According to some embodiments, Figure 3AThe system of and / or 3B can operate in carrier aggregation mode and single carrier mode. Since only one TDD carrier can be transmitted at any given time in such a system, one directional coupler 12 can be used for single carrier signals and aggregated carrier signals.

[0085] Figure 3A 2 is a schematic diagram of an electronic system 20 with uplink carrier aggregation and power detection of individual carriers according to an embodiment. As shown, the electronic system includes a TDD path 28, an RF path 29A to 29N, an antenna switch 24, a directional coupler 12 having a terminal impedance 13, a power detector 14, and an antenna 19. The TDD path 28 is configured to provide a TDD carrier aggregation signal to the antenna switch 24. The TDD carrier aggregation signal can be a non-overlapping TDD carrier aggregation signal. Each of the RF signal paths 29A to 29N can provide an RF signal to the antenna switch 24 when activated. Any suitable number of RF signal paths can be implemented. The RF signal paths 29A to 29N can be TDD carrier aggregation signal paths and / or FDD carrier aggregation signal paths. The antenna switch 24 can electrically couple the selected signal path to the antenna 19. In a first state, the antenna switch 24 can electrically couple the TDD path 28 to the antenna 19. When the antenna switch 24 is in the first state, the directional coupler 12 can provide an indication of the RF power associated with the individual carrier transmitted through the TDD path 28. The directional coupler 12 may also provide an indication of the power associated with the RF paths 29A- 29N electrically coupled to the antenna 19 in different states of the antenna switch 24 .

[0086] Figure 3B 2 is a schematic diagram of an electronic system 20' with uplink carrier aggregation and power detection of individual carriers according to an embodiment. The electronic system 20' can implement power detection of individual carriers of aggregated carriers in a non-overlapping transmission TDD carrier aggregation system. The electronic system 20' shown includes power amplifiers 11A and 11B, transmit / receive switches 21A / 21B, low noise amplifiers 22A / 22B, bandpass filters 23A and 23B, a dual multiplexer 18, RF signal paths 29A, 29B and 29C, an antenna switch 24, a directional coupler 12, a terminal impedance 13, a power detector 14 and an antenna 19. Figure 3C yes Figure 3B Schematic diagram of the timing and associated power consumption of time division duplex with non-overlapping transmission in an electronic system 20'. When the first transmit / receive switch 21A is in a state corresponding to the transmit mode and the second transmit / receive switch 21B is in a state corresponding to the receive mode, the RF path associated with the first carrier can be in the transmit mode as shown. Figure 3CThe transmit / receive switches 21A and 21B may alternate between transmit and receive modes. The directional coupler 12 may provide an indication of the RF power associated with the first carrier when the first carrier is transmitted via the antenna 19, and provide an indication of the RF power associated with the second carrier when the second carrier is transmitted via the antenna 19. Based on the signal indicating the transmit / receive mode of the first carrier and the second carrier, a power control system (e.g. Fig. 6A Power control system or Figure 6C A power control system) can detect which carrier of the aggregated carriers is associated with the output of the directional coupler 12 and the output of the power detector 14.

[0087] like Figure 3B As shown, the antenna switch 24 can electrically couple the TDD carrier aggregation signal path 28 to the antenna 19. In other states, the antenna switch 24 can electrically couple a selected one of the RF signal paths 29A, 29B, or 29C to the antenna 19. Any of the RF signal paths 29A to 29C can implement, for example, a non-overlapping TDD carrier aggregation signal path similar to the TDD carrier aggregation signal path 28. Alternatively or additionally, any of the RF signal paths 29A to 29C can implement an overlapping TDD carrier aggregation signal path, an FDD carrier aggregation signal path, or a single carrier signal path.

[0088] The illustrated electronic system 20' may be implemented with separate SAW filters combined via a dual multiplexer 18. Any suitable principles and benefits discussed with reference to the electronic system 20' may be implemented in conjunction with other electronic systems having a single SAW duplexer, a single BAW duplexer, or a single FBAR duplexer.

[0089] In a TDD system where transmission of two carriers can occur simultaneously, a single directional coupler can detect the RF power associated with each carrier when the coupled signals are separated by a double multiplexer and / or a duplex filter. Separate power detectors can receive the coupled signals associated with the separated carriers. Each separate power detector can be a relatively simple power detector in some implementations, rather than a more complex tuning-based receiver-based power detector.

[0090] Figure 4Ais a schematic diagram of an electronic system 30 with uplink carrier aggregation and power detection of individual carriers according to an embodiment. The electronic system 30 can implement power detection of individual carriers of aggregated carriers in a TDD system in which individual carriers are transmitted simultaneously. A relatively low power duplexer or dual multiplexer filter electrically connected to the coupling port of the directional coupler can allow each aggregated carrier to be separated and processed independently to control the power of each carrier. The insertion loss of the carrier aggregation directional coupler 12 can only affect the carrier aggregation path 32 in the electronic system 30. Therefore, other RF signal paths 29A to 29C should not be affected by the insertion loss of the directional coupler 12 shown. Including other standard carriers should not add additional loss or complexity.

[0091] The electronic system 30 shown includes a carrier aggregation path 32, other RF signal paths 29A to 29C, an antenna switch 32 and an antenna 19. As shown, the carrier aggregation path 32 includes power amplifiers 11A and 11B, a transmit / receive switch 21A / 21B, a low noise amplifier 22A / 22B, a bandpass filter 23A and 23B, a dual multiplexer 18, a directional coupler 12, a terminal impedance 13 and a power detection dual multiplexer 31. In the electronic system 30, the antenna selection switch 32 can be arranged in the signal path between the directional coupler 12 and the antenna 19. The antenna selection switch 32 can electrically couple the selected signal path to the antenna 19. The other RF signal paths 29A to 29C can be implemented according to any principles and benefits associated with the RF signal paths discussed herein. One or more of the other RF signal paths 29A to 29C can be carrier aggregation signal paths. Alternatively or additionally, one or more of the other RF signal paths 29A to 29C can be single carrier signal paths.

[0092] Figure 4B yes Figure 4A Schematic diagram of the timing and associated power consumption of time division duplexing with overlapping transmission in the electronic system 30 of FIG. Figure 4B As shown in , a first RF path associated with a first carrier and a second RF path associated with a second carrier can be in transmit mode at the same time. The two RF paths can be included in Figure 4A The carrier aggregation path 32 of the embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. 1 . The indication of the RF power of the aggregated carriers may be provided by the directional coupler 12. The dual multiplexer 31 may frequency multiplex the indication of the RF power of the aggregated carriers to provide the indication of the RF power of the first carrier to the first power detector and to provide the indication of the RF power of the second carrier to the second power detector.

[0093] The illustrated electronic system 30 may be implemented with separate SAW filters combined via a dual multiplexer 18. Any suitable principles and benefits discussed with reference to the electronic system 30 may be implemented in conjunction with other electronic systems having a single SAW duplexer, a single BAW duplexer, or a single FBAR duplexer.

[0094] In a TDD system and / or FDD system that transmits an inter-band carrier aggregation signal including carriers associated with more than one frequency band, a power control method can be implemented using an independent directional coupler located in a signal path between a power amplifier and a sub-band frequency limiting filter. Examples of more than one frequency band that can be aggregated include, but are not limited to, (a) a low band (LB) (e.g., 699MHz-915MHz) and a mid band (MB) (e.g., 1710MHz-2025MHz), (b) LB and a high band (HB) (e.g., 2300MHz-2695MHz), and (c) MB and HB. Sub-band frequency limiting filtering can be implemented by a dual multiplexer for combining LB and MB, one or more duplexers and a band selection switch, a TDD band limiting filter, a triple multiplexer of LB, MB and HB, power isolation separated via antennas, etc., or any combination thereof.

[0095] Figure 5A It is a schematic diagram of an electronic system 40 with uplink carrier aggregation and power detection of a separate carrier according to an embodiment. The electronic system 40 can implement power detection of a separate carrier of an aggregated carrier in a TDD and / or FDD system. A frequency multiplexing circuit, such as a dual multiplexer or a triple multiplexer, can provide isolation between low-band, mid-band, and high-band frequencies to isolate a directional coupler associated with a separate carrier from an alternate (alternate) aggregate carrier associated with two or more other separate carriers. Switches can be used to select between different directional couplers in a system with a power detector less than a directional coupler. Each directional coupler can be configured for enhanced and / or optimized performance of a specific frequency range (e.g., low-band, mid-band, or high-band frequency range) to improve performance.

[0096] The electronic system 40 shown includes power amplifiers 11A, 11B and 11C, switches 41A, 41B and 41C, duplexers 42A, 42B and 42C, switches 43A, 43B and 43C, directional couplers 12A, 12B and 12C, terminal impedances 13A, 13B and 13C, selection switch 44, power detector 14, three multiplexers 45 and antenna 19. Each of the power amplifiers 11A, 11B and 11C can transmit an amplified RF signal associated with a different carrier. The switches 41A, 41B and 41C together with the corresponding switches 43A, 43B and 43C can electrically couple the corresponding power amplifiers 11A, 11B and 11C to the corresponding directional couplers 12A, 12B and 12C through the duplexers 42A, 42B and 42C. The duplexer 42A may be implemented by a group of duplexers each associated with a different frequency band and / or other filtering characteristics (e.g., out-of-band attenuation, in-band attenuation, etc.). Similarly, the duplexers 42B and / or 42C may be implemented by a group of duplexers each associated with a different frequency band and / or other filtering characteristics (e.g., out-of-band attenuation, in-band attenuation, etc.).

[0097] Each of the directional couplers 12A, 12B, and 12C can provide an indication of the RF power associated with the corresponding carrier. The terminal impedances 13A, 13B, and 13C can be configured to enhance the frequency of the carrier associated with the corresponding directional coupler and / or optimize the performance of the corresponding directional coupler. The selection switch 44 can electrically couple the selected directional coupler 12A, 12B, or 12C to the power detector 14. Therefore, the switch 44 can be used to share a single power detector 14 between multiple directional couplers 12A, 12B, and 12C. Using other switching devices, the directional coupler can be configured to use two detectors for various combinations of inter-band carrier aggregation, such as (a) LB and MB, (b) LB and HB, or (c) MB and HB. In other embodiments (not shown), a separate power detector can be provided for each directional coupler 12A, 12B, and 12C. The three multiplexers 45 are frequency multiplexing circuits that can provide isolation between carrier aggregation signals and RF signals associated with individual carriers.

[0098] In the electronic system 40 shown, relatively high isolation of each detected carrier signal relative to other carriers can be provided due to the isolation provided by (1) out-of-band filtering of each duplexer 42A, 42B and 42C, (2) out-of-band isolation of the antenna triplexer 45, and (3) the directionality of the forward port of the selected directional coupler 12A or 12B or 12C to the reverse traveling waves of the remaining interfering carriers.

[0099] Figure 5Bis a schematic diagram of an electronic system 40' with carrier aggregation and power detection of individual carriers according to an embodiment. For example, the electronic system 40' can be implemented in a downlink carrier aggregation system. As shown, the electronic system 40' includes power amplifiers 11A and 11B, filters 46A and 46B configured to filter the outputs of the power amplifiers 11A and 11B, respectively, switches 43A, 43B and 43C, directional couplers 12A, 12B and 12C, coupler terminals 47A, 47B and 47C, a selection switch 44 and a dual multiplexer 18.

[0100] The electronic system 40' includes a Figure 5A The electronic system 40 ′ includes a double multiplexer 18 to combine two of the three illustrated paths associated with separate carriers, such as the LB and MB carrier paths. Figure 5A The electronic system 40 includes a triplexer 45 to combine three paths associated with separate carriers.

[0101] The coupled output port CPL can provide an indication to a detector which in Figure 5B Depending on the particular application, any of the detectors discussed herein may be implemented as an electronic module or device that is internal or external to the associated directional coupler.

[0102] Coupler terminals 47A, 47B, and 47C associated with directional couplers 12A, 12B, and 12C, respectively, can enable these directional couplers to provide an indication of forward power in one state and an indication of reverse power in another state. For example, coupler terminals 47A, 47B, and 47C can provide corresponding terminal impedances to different coupler ports in different states. Such features can be implemented with any other embodiment discussed herein as appropriate.

[0103] Figure 5C 4 is a schematic diagram of an electronic system 40" with carrier aggregation and power detection of a single carrier according to an embodiment. For example, the electronic system 40" can be implemented in a downlink carrier aggregation system. The electronic system 40" includes a similar Figure 5B Some differences between electronic system 40" and electronic system 40' include that electronic system 40" provides LB, MB, and HB outputs, which can allow greater flexibility in combining carriers in the path to the antenna, and that there are multiple coupled-out output ports CPL1 and CPL2. With the two coupled-out output ports CPL1 and CPL2, select switches 44A and 44B can provide the outputs of two of the three shown directional couplers to two power detectors. Figure 5CIt is shown that in certain embodiments, a notch filter 47 may be included in the signal path between the power amplifier 22A and the directional coupler 12B. Figure 5C It is shown that the outputs of directional couplers 12B and 12C may be filtered by bandpass filter 48 and lowpass filter 49, respectively, between directional couplers 12B and 12C and the frequency multiplexing circuitry and / or antenna.

[0104] Fig. 6A is a schematic diagram of a carrier aggregation system 50 with closed-loop power control according to an embodiment. The power of individual carriers in the carrier aggregation system can be controlled based on the detected power of the individual carriers using an indication of the RF power associated with the individual carriers. The electronic system 50 shown includes a power detection and feedback control circuit 54, modems 55A to 55N, amplifiers 56A to 56N, a carrier aggregation circuit 57, and an antenna 19. The feedback control circuit 54, the modems 55A to 55N, and the amplifiers 56A to 56N can together implement a power control system. The carrier aggregation circuit 57 can include any suitable carrier aggregation signal path discussed herein. The carrier aggregation circuit 57 can provide an indication of the power associated with the individual carriers of the carrier aggregation signal. The power detection and feedback control circuit 54 can adjust the power level associated with the amplifiers in the amplifiers 56A to 56N associated with the individual carriers based on the indication of the power associated with the individual carriers. By adjusting the power level associated with the selected amplifier in the amplifiers 56A to 56N, the power level of the RF source (e.g., power amplifier) ​​of the carrier aggregation circuit 57 can be adjusted accordingly.

[0105] Figure 6B 60 is a flow chart of an illustrative process 60 for controlling the power of individual carriers of a carrier aggregation signal according to an embodiment. Some or all of process 60 may be implemented using any embodiment discussed herein as appropriate. Process 60 may be performed on a mobile device. It should be understood that any method discussed herein may include more or fewer operations than shown in the flow chart, and the operations may be performed in any suitable order.

[0106] At block 62, the power of an individual carrier of the aggregated carrier is detected. Detecting the power of the individual carrier may involve using a power detector coupled to any suitable directional coupler discussed herein. As one example, detecting an indication of the power of the individual carrier may be based on an output of a directional coupler coupled between a frequency multiplexing circuit and an antenna. As another example, detecting an indication of the power of the individual carrier may be based on an output of a directional coupler coupled between a power amplifier and a multi-throw RF switch. At block 64, the power associated with the individual carrier may be adjusted based on the detected power associated with the individual carrier. For example, a power detector may be used. Fig. 6A The power detector and feedback control circuit 54 provide a control signal to adjust the Fig. 6AThe power associated with a selected amplifier among amplifiers 56A to 56N.

[0107] At block 66, the powers of different individual carriers of the aggregated carrier are detected. In some embodiments, detecting the powers of different individual carriers at block 66 may involve a different directional coupler than detecting the powers of the individual carriers at block 62. In some other embodiments, detecting the powers of different individual carriers at block 66 may involve the same directional coupler as detecting the powers of the individual carriers at block 62. At block 68, the powers associated with the different individual carriers may be adjusted based on the detected powers associated with the different individual carriers. Accordingly, the powers associated with multiple individual carriers of the carrier aggregation signal may be adjusted based on the detected powers associated with the respective individual carriers.

[0108] Figure 6C is a schematic diagram of a carrier aggregation system 50' with closed loop power control 50 according to an embodiment. An indication of RF power associated with an individual carrier provided by a directional coupler, power detector, or duplexer, etc., may be used to control the power of an RF signal provided to an RF source (e.g., a power amplifier). The illustrated system 50' includes a power control system 53. Figure 6C As shown, the directional coupler 12 may provide an indication of the RF power of a separate carrier or a carrier aggregation signal to a power detector and feedback control circuit 54. The power detector and feedback control circuit 54 may include a power detector, such as the power detector 14, and a feedback control circuit configured to generate a control signal based at least in part on the indication of the RF power of the separate carrier. The modem 55A, 55B, or 55C may provide a carrier signal to an amplifier 56A, 56B, or 56C, respectively. The power of the output of the amplifier 56A, 56B, or 56C may be controlled by the control signal provided by the power detector and feedback control circuit 54. This may control the power of a separate carrier in a carrier aggregation system based on the power of the detected separate carrier. Any of these principles and benefits may be applied to control the power of two or more separate carriers associated with a carrier aggregation signal. In certain embodiments, the principles and benefits discussed herein may be applied to control the power of each carrier of a carrier aggregation signal. Any carrier aggregation signal discussed herein may be an aggregation associated with two or more carriers.

[0109] Figure 7is a schematic block diagram of an exemplary wireless communication device 70 that may include any suitable combination of features related to power detection of individual carriers of carrier aggregation signals discussed herein. The wireless communication device 70 may be any suitable wireless communication device. For example, the device may be a mobile phone, such as a smart phone. As shown, the wireless communication device 70 includes an antenna 19, an RF front end 72, a power control system 52, a processor 74, and a memory 76. Any of the carrier aggregation signal paths and / or carrier aggregation circuits discussed herein may be implemented in the RF front end 72. The RF front end 72 may provide a carrier aggregation RF signal to the antenna 19 for transmission. The RF front end 72 may also process RF signals received by the antenna 19. The memory 76 may store data on the wireless communication device 70. The processor 74 may store data in the memory 76 and / or access data in the memory 76. The processor 74 may process baseband signals. As shown, the power control system 53 is coupled between the processor 74 and the RF front end 72. The power control system 53 may be implemented in conjunction with Figures 6A to 6C Any of the principles and benefits discussed in any of the.

[0110] Some of the embodiments described above have been provided as examples in conjunction with power amplifiers and / or mobile devices. However, the principles and benefits of the embodiments may be used for any other system or device that can benefit from any of the principles and benefits described herein. For example, a power amplifier is an example of an RF source that provides an RF signal, and any suitable combination of the features discussed herein may be implemented in conjunction with other RF sources. Any principles and benefits discussed herein may be implemented in an electronic system that needs to detect and / or control the power level of a separate carrier of an aggregated carrier. Although the embodiments may have been discussed above with reference to an uplink carrier aggregation system, any suitable principles and benefits discussed herein may be applied to a downlink carrier aggregation system. Any suitable principles and benefits of the embodiments discussed with reference to a specific one or more types of carrier aggregation (e.g., FDD, TDD with non-overlapping transmission, TDD with overlapping transmission) may be implemented in conjunction with different types of carrier aggregation when appropriate. Any suitable principles and benefits of the embodiments discussed with reference to inter-band carrier aggregation may be implemented in conjunction with intra-band carrier aggregation when appropriate. The teachings herein are applicable to various power amplifier systems including systems with multiple power amplifiers, including, for example, multi-band and / or multi-mode power amplifier systems. The power amplifier transistors discussed herein may be, for example, gallium arsenide (GaAs), complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) or silicon germanium (SiGe) transistors. In addition, the power amplifiers discussed herein may be implemented by FETs and / or bipolar transistors such as heterojunction bipolar transistors.

[0111] Aspects of the present disclosure may be implemented in various electronic devices. Examples of electronic devices may include, but are not limited to, consumer electronic products, portions of consumer electronic products, electronic test equipment, cellular communication infrastructure such as base stations, and the like. Examples of electronic devices may include, but are not limited to, mobile phones such as smart phones, electronic modules configured for use in mobile phones, electronic modules configured for use in base stations, phones, televisions, computer monitors, computers, modems, handheld computers, laptop computers, tablet computers, e-book readers, wearable computers (e.g., smart watches), personal digital assistants (PDAs), microwave ovens, refrigerators, cars, audio systems, DVD players, CD players, digital music players (e.g., MP3 players), radios, camcorders, cameras, digital cameras, portable memory chips, health care monitoring equipment, vehicle-mounted electronic systems (e.g., automotive electronic systems or avionics systems), washing machines, dryers, washing / drying machines, peripheral devices, watches, clocks, and the like. In addition, electronic devices may include unfinished products.

[0112] Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, throughout the specification and claims, the words "including" and "comprising" and the like should be interpreted in an inclusive sense, rather than an exclusive or exhaustive sense; that is, in the sense of "including but not limited to". As generally used herein, the word "electrically coupled" refers to two or more elements that can be electrically connected directly or through one or more intermediate elements. Similarly, as generally used herein, the word "connected" refers to two or more elements that can be directly connected or connected with one or more intermediate elements. The radio frequency signal may have a frequency in the range from 300 MHz to 300 GHz. In addition, when appropriate, when used in this application, the words "here", "above", "below" and words of similar meaning should refer to the application as a whole, rather than any particular part of the application. When the context permits, the words used in the singular or plural in the detailed description of certain embodiments described above may also include the plural or singular, respectively. The word "or" when referring to a list of two or more items, when the context permits, 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.

[0113] Furthermore, conditional language used herein, such as, among others, "may," "could," "might," "can," "example," "for example," and "such as," is generally intended to convey that certain embodiments include and other embodiments do not include certain features, elements, and / or states, unless otherwise specifically stated or understood otherwise within the context of use. Thus, such conditional language is generally not intended to imply that one or more embodiments in any way require the features, elements, and / or states or that one or more embodiments necessarily include logic for determining, with or without author input or prompting, whether such features, elements, and / or states are included or to be performed in any particular embodiment.

[0114] Although certain embodiments have been described, these embodiments are presented only by way of example and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. In fact, the novel devices, methods, and systems described herein may be implemented in various other forms; in addition, various omissions, substitutions, and changes in the form of the methods and systems described herein may be made without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure. For example, although multiple blocks are presented in a given device, alternative embodiments may use different components and / or circuit topologies to perform similar functions, and some blocks may be deleted, moved, added, subdivided, combined, and / or modified. Each of these blocks may be implemented in a variety of different ways. Any suitable combination of the elements and actions of the various embodiments described above may be combined to provide further embodiments. The attached claims and their equivalents are intended to cover such forms or modifications as will fall within the scope and spirit of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A carrier aggregation system, comprising: Multiple amplifiers; a plurality of power amplifiers, each power amplifier being associated with a separate carrier and having an output connected to a respective amplifier of the plurality of amplifiers; a transmit output configured to provide a carrier aggregation signal comprising an aggregation of a plurality of carriers associated with the plurality of power amplifiers; one or more directional couplers configured to provide an indication of the power of each of the plurality of carriers; as well as A feedback control circuit is configured to adjust a power level of an amplifier of the plurality of amplifiers based at least in part on the indication of the power of the carrier. 2 . The carrier aggregation system according to claim 1 , wherein the carrier aggregation signal complies with the Long Term Evolution-Advanced standard. The carrier aggregation system according to claim 1 , wherein the carrier aggregation signal is an inter-band carrier aggregation signal. 4 . The carrier aggregation system according to claim 1 , further comprising a frequency multiplexing circuit, wherein the one or more directional couplers are arranged in a signal path between one of the plurality of power amplifiers and the frequency multiplexing circuit. The carrier aggregation system according to claim 4 , wherein the frequency multiplexing circuit is a dual multiplexer. 6 . The carrier aggregation system according to claim 1 , further comprising a band selection switch, wherein the one or more directional couplers are arranged in a signal path between one of the plurality of power amplifiers and the band selection switch. 7 . The carrier aggregation system according to claim 6 , further comprising a bandpass filter, the band selection switch being coupled between the one or more directional couplers and the bandpass filter.

8. The carrier aggregation system according to claim 1 further includes a second directional coupler and a frequency multiplexing circuit, wherein the one or more directional couplers and the second directional coupler are associated with different power amplifiers among the multiple power amplifiers, and the frequency multiplexing circuit is coupled between the transmit output and the one or more directional couplers, and coupled between the transmit output and the second directional coupler. 9 . The carrier aggregation system of claim 1 , further comprising a power detector coupled to the one or more directional couplers. 10 . The carrier aggregation system of claim 9 , further comprising a multi-throw switch coupled between the one or more directional couplers and the power detector.

11. A method of detecting power associated with an individual carrier of a carrier aggregation signal, the method comprising: providing an aggregated carrier including at least a first carrier and a second carrier; detecting an indication of power of the first carrier of the aggregated carriers; detecting an indication of power of the second carrier of the aggregated carrier separately from detecting an indication of power of the first carrier; adjusting a first power associated with a first amplifier based at least in part on the indication of the power of the first carrier, the first amplifier being associated with the first carrier; amplifying an output signal from the first amplifier using a first power amplifier; adjusting a second power associated with a second amplifier associated with the second carrier based at least in part on the indication of the power of the second carrier; as well as An output signal from the second amplifier is amplified using a second power amplifier, the aggregate signal being formed from the output signals from the first amplifier and the second amplifier. The method of claim 11 , wherein the method is performed in a mobile device.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the detecting an indication of the power of the first carrier is based on an output of a directional coupler coupled between a frequency multiplexing circuit and an antenna.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the detecting the indication of the power of the first carrier is based on an output of a first directional coupler, and the detecting the indication of the power of the second carrier is based on an output of a second directional coupler.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein a first directional coupler is coupled between the first power amplifier and a multi-throw radio frequency switch.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein both the detecting an indication of power of the first carrier and the detecting an indication of power of the second carrier are performed using an output of a single directional coupler.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein said detecting an indication of power of the first carrier is performed using a first power detector, and said detecting an indication of power of the second carrier is performed using a second power detector.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the detecting an indication of power of the first carrier and the detecting an indication of power of the second carrier are performed non-concurrently.

19. A mobile wireless communication device, comprising: an antenna configured to transmit a radio frequency signal; Multiple amplifiers; a plurality of power amplifiers, each power amplifier being associated with a separate carrier and having an output connected to a respective amplifier of the plurality of amplifiers; a transmit output configured to provide a carrier aggregation signal comprising an aggregation of a plurality of carriers associated with the plurality of power amplifiers; one or more directional couplers configured to provide an indication of the power of each of the plurality of carriers; as well as A feedback control circuit is configured to adjust a power level of an amplifier of the plurality of amplifiers based at least in part on the indication of the power of the carrier.

20. The mobile wireless communications device of claim 19, further comprising a frequency multiplexing circuit coupled between the transmit output and the one or more directional couplers.

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