Power supply control method, system and electronic device

Abstract

The embodiment of the present application discloses a power supply control method, system and electronic device. The method comprises: after an abnormal current value appears in the power supply path between the power module and the radio frequency power amplifier, controlling the power supply path to be in a disconnected state and starting timing; after the timing duration reaches a preset duration, controlling the power supply path to be in a conducting state; detecting whether the current value of the power supply path meets a preset judgment condition; if the current value meets the judgment condition, keeping the power supply path in a conducting state.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The embodiments of the present application relate to the field of electronic circuits, and in particular to a power control method, system and electronic device. Background Art

[0002] Radio Frequency Power Amplifier (RF PA) is widely used in electronic countermeasures, satellite communications, and mobile communication systems, and plays a very important role. Moreover, compared with other devices in the system, the RF power amplifier is more expensive and fragile, and needs to be protected to ensure the stability of the overall system. Therefore, how to use the RF power amplifier is an urgent problem to be solved. Summary of the invention

[0003] In order to solve any of the above technical problems, the embodiments of the present application provide a power control method, system and electronic device.

[0004] In order to achieve the purpose of the embodiment of the present application, the embodiment of the present application provides a power supply control method, including:

[0005] After an abnormal current value appears in the power supply path between the power module and the radio frequency power amplifier, the power supply path is controlled to be in a disconnected state and timing is started;

[0006] After the timing duration reaches a preset duration, controlling the power supply path to be in an on state;

[0007] Detecting whether the current value of the power supply path meets a preset judgment condition;

[0008] If the current value satisfies the judgment condition, the power supply path is kept in the conducting state.

[0009] A power control system comprises a power module, a power supply path and a radio frequency amplifier, wherein the power module supplies power to the radio frequency amplifier through the power supply path, wherein the power supply path comprises the power control circuit described above, which is used to control the conduction state of the power supply path after the current value of the power supply path is greater than a preset current threshold.

[0010] An electronic device comprises the power control system described above.

[0011] One of the above technical solutions has the following advantages or beneficial effects:

[0012] After the power supply path is in the disconnected state, by re-detecting whether the current value is greater than the current threshold, misjudgment can be avoided and the accuracy of operation can be improved.

[0013] Other features and advantages of the embodiments of the present application will be described in the subsequent description, and partly become apparent from the description, or can be understood by implementing the embodiments of the present application. The purpose and other advantages of the embodiments of the present application can be achieved and obtained by the structures specifically pointed out in the description, claims and drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] The accompanying drawings are used to provide further understanding of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application and constitute a part of the specification. Together with the embodiments of the embodiments of the present application, they are used to explain the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application.

[0015] Figure 1 It is a working schematic diagram of a radio frequency power amplifier;

[0016] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the power supply path when the RF power amplifier works abnormally;

[0017] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a power control system provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0018] Figure 4 for Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a power control circuit in the power control system shown;

[0019] Figure 5 A flow chart of a power control method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0020] Figure 6 for Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the deployment of the power control system shown;

[0021] Figure 7 for Figure 3 Another deployment schematic diagram of the power control system is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] In order to make the purpose, technical solution and advantages of the embodiments of the present application more clear, the embodiments of the present application will be described in detail in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that, in the absence of conflict, the embodiments and features in the embodiments of the present application can be combined with each other arbitrarily.

[0023] In the process of implementing this application, a technical analysis of the relevant technologies was conducted and it was found that the relevant technologies have at least the following problems, including:

[0024] Figure 1 Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the operation of the RF power amplifier. Figure 1As shown, the RF power amplifier is arranged in the RF front-end device. The RF power amplifier amplifies the RF signal sent by the RF transceiver device and then sends it out through the antenna via the RF path. The power supply of the RF power amplifier is provided by a power module arranged outside the RF front-end device, and the power module is controlled by a power control chip (Power Control Integrated Circuit, PMIC).

[0025] The RF front-end device involved in the embodiments of the present application can be applied to communication devices with wireless communication functions, and the communication devices can be handheld devices, vehicle-mounted devices, wearable devices, computing devices or other processing devices connected to a wireless modem, as well as various forms of user equipment (UE) (for example, mobile phones), mobile stations (MS) and other electronic devices with communication functions.

[0026] Since RF power amplifiers are high-power devices, they are often in high-temperature, high-power, and high-current working scenarios, and inevitably, they are prone to burning out with a small probability.

[0027] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the power supply path when the RF power amplifier is working abnormally. Figure 2 As shown in the figure, after the RF power amplifier burns out, a short circuit will occur inside, which is equivalent to short-circuiting the external power supply directly to the ground. Since the wiring resistance is very small, an abnormally large current will be generated in the power supply path, and the current can be more than 4 times the normal working current. The large current will cause serious heating of the electronic equipment, which will have a great impact on normal use.

[0028] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of a power control system provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 3 As shown, the power control system includes a power module, a power supply path and a radio frequency power amplifier, wherein the power module supplies power to the radio frequency power amplifier through the power supply path, wherein the power supply path includes a power control circuit, and the power control circuit is used to control the conduction state of the power supply path according to the current size of the power supply path.

[0029] Among them, one end of the power control circuit is connected to the first connection point of the power supply path, and the other end of the power control circuit is connected to the second connection point of the power supply path, so that the power control system is deployed on the power supply path.

[0030] By controlling the conduction state of the power supply path through the power supply control circuit, the RF power amplifier can operate within the normal current range, thereby reducing the occurrence of heating problems caused by burning of the RF power amplifier.

[0031] Figure 4 for Figure 3 The schematic diagram of the power control circuit in the power control system is shown in FIG. Figure 4 As shown, the power control circuit includes a current detection circuit and a switch device; wherein the power control circuit includes a current detection circuit and a switch device; wherein the current detection circuit has a first connection terminal, a second connection terminal and a signal output terminal, wherein the switch device has a third connection terminal, the fourth connection terminal and a signal receiving terminal; wherein the first connection terminal is connected to the third connection terminal, the second connection terminal and the fourth connection terminal are respectively connected to the power supply path, and the signal output terminal is connected to the signal input terminal; wherein:

[0032] The current detection circuit is used to detect whether the current value passing through the current detection circuit is greater than a preset current threshold value, and if the current value is greater than the current value, output a first power supply signal; otherwise, output a second power supply signal;

[0033] The switching device is connected to the current detection circuit, and is used to control the power supply path between the power supply module and the RF power amplifier to be in a disconnected state after receiving a first power supply signal; and to control the power supply path to be in a conductive state when receiving a second power supply signal.

[0034] Specifically, if the current value is greater than the current threshold, it means that the current passing through the current detection circuit is too large, and a power supply control signal for controlling the power supply path to be disconnected is output; conversely, if the current value is less than or equal to the current threshold, it means that the current passing through the current detection circuit is within a normal range, and a power supply control signal for controlling the power supply path to be turned on is output.

[0035] For example, the current threshold Ith is set; when the power supply control signal SW CTRL Signal is at a high level, the switch device VCCSW is closed; when the power supply control signal SW CTRL Signal is at a low level, the switch device VCC SW is opened.

[0036] The voltage threshold Ith may be determined in the following manners, including:

[0037] Obtain the maximum value of normal current when the RF power amplifier is working normally;

[0038] Calculating the product of the maximum normal current value and a preset coefficient as the maximum abnormal current value when the radio frequency power amplifier burns out;

[0039] The current threshold Ith is determined based on the abnormal current maximum value and the normal current maximum value.

[0040] Specifically, when the RF power amplifier burns out, an abnormally large current will be generated in the power supply path, and the magnitude of the current may be more than 4 times the normal operating current. Therefore, the value of the preset coefficient is between 5 and 10.

[0041] After obtaining the maximum abnormal current value and the maximum normal current value, the difference between the maximum abnormal current value and the maximum normal current value can be directly used as the current threshold value Ith, or the difference between the maximum abnormal current value and the maximum normal current value can be further corrected and the correction result can be used as the current threshold value. For example, a corresponding correction coefficient is set, and the product of the difference between the maximum abnormal current value and the maximum normal current value and the correction coefficient is used as the current threshold value Ith.

[0042] Furthermore, the power supply control signal distinguishes the control content through level information, and the required hardware cost is relatively low.

[0043] When the path current passing through the current detection circuit is relatively small, and the current I passing through the current detection circuit is less than or equal to Ith, the power supply control signal SW CTRL Signal output by the current detection circuit is high, the switching device VCC SW is closed, the power supply path is in the on state, and the RF power amplifier works normally.

[0044] When the current in the VCC path is more than 5-10 times the normal working current. The current value of the path passing through the current detection circuit is more than 5-10 times the normal working current of the RF power amplifier. At this time, I>Ith, the power supply control signal SW CTRL Signal output by the current detection circuit becomes low level, the switch device VCC SW is disconnected, and the power supply of the RF power amplifier is interrupted to prevent the continuous abnormally large current in the power supply path, which causes serious heating.

[0045] From the above analysis, it can be seen that using the current detection circuit to control the switching device can enable the normal operation of the RF power amplifier and reduce the occurrence of heating problems caused by the burning of the RF power amplifier.

[0046] Furthermore, the power control circuit also includes an adjustable resistor connected in series, which is used to adjust the current value in the power supply path when the power supply path is in a conducting state.

[0047] Since the current value in the power supply path may exceed the normal current value by a small margin in a short period of time, the current in the power supply path can be restored to the normal current value by increasing the resistance of the adjustable resistor, thereby ensuring that the current value in the power supply path is within the normal range.

[0048] The resistance range of the adjustable resistor is [A, B], where A and B are both positive integers. The initial value of the adjustable resistor on the power supply path is R0.

[0049] According to the maximum value B of the adjustable resistor and the initial value R0 of the adjustable resistor, the maximum value of the current that can be adjusted by the adjustable resistor is calculated to obtain the current tolerance value;

[0050] Determine the resistance of the adjustable component in the power supply path as the current value corresponding to the initial value, and obtain the initial current value;

[0051] The current adjustable value is determined according to the current initial value and the current tolerance value.

[0052] When the current value in the power supply path is greater than the normal current maximum value but less than the abnormal current value, if the current value is within the current adjustable value range, the resistance of the adjustable resistor is adjusted so that the current in the power supply path returns to the normal range.

[0053] By setting an adjustable resistor in the power supply path, the current value of the power supply path can be controlled within a normal range.

[0054] Since the power control circuit implemented by hardware may have an extremely small probability of false triggering, that is, the RF power amplifier is in a normal state and the power supply path is not short-circuited, the power control circuit detects and determines that the RF power amplifier is burned out due to problems in the circuit itself, and disconnects the power supply path, making the RF power amplifier unable to work normally, resulting in communication abnormalities in the mobile phone.

[0055] In order to avoid the above problems, the present invention provides the following solutions, including:

[0056] Figure 5 This is a flow chart of a power control method provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 5 As shown, the method is applied to any of the power supply control systems described above, and the method includes:

[0057] Step 501: after detecting that the current value of the power supply path between the power module and the radio frequency power amplifier is greater than a preset current threshold, control the power supply path to be in a disconnected state and start timing;

[0058] When the power supply path is in the disconnected state, it indicates that the current in the power supply path is too large. Through the timing operation, the power supply path is completely drained away so that the detection can be performed again to ensure the accuracy of the detection.

[0059] Step 502: After the timing duration reaches a preset duration, the power supply path is controlled to be in an on state;

[0060] Step 503: Detect whether the current value of the power supply path meets a preset judgment condition; if the current value meets the judgment condition, keep the power supply path in a conducting state.

[0061] This judgment is used to determine whether there is an abnormally large current in the power supply path, wherein the judgment condition can be whether the current value is greater than a preset current threshold; or, the difference between the current value obtained in the current sampling period and the current value in the previous sampling period is greater than a preset change threshold, which is used to determine whether the current value in the power supply path increases instantaneously.

[0062] Take the judgment condition that the current value is greater than the current threshold as an example for explanation:

[0063] When the power control circuit detects an abnormally large current in the power supply path, that is, I>Ith, and disconnects the power supply path, it controls the switch device to close after a preset time interval (such as 3s), so that the power supply path is in a conductive state, and detects the current in the power supply path again. If the VCC path current returns to normal at this time, that is, I<Ith, it means that the RF power amplifier is not burned out, and the last protection is determined to be a false trigger. The switch device is kept closed, so that the RF power amplifier resumes normal operation.

[0064] The method provided in the embodiment of the present application can avoid the occurrence of misjudgment and improve the accuracy of operation by re-detecting whether the current value is greater than the current threshold after the power supply path is in a disconnected state.

[0065] Further, the detecting whether the current value of the power supply path is greater than the current threshold value to obtain a detection result includes:

[0066] Performing N operations of detecting the current value of the power supply path to obtain N current values;

[0067] If one current value among the N current values ​​satisfies the judgment condition, the power supply path is kept in an on state, wherein N is an integer greater than or equal to 2.

[0068] After N consecutive detections, if the current value I passing through the current detection circuit satisfies the judgment condition at one time, it indicates that the current in the power supply path has returned to normal, and it is determined that the last time was a false trigger. In this case, the power supply path is kept in the on state, so that the RF power amplifier can resume normal operation.

[0069] Furthermore, after the current value meets the judgment condition, a current value abnormality detection operation is performed according to a preset detection cycle.

[0070] If the current value meets the judgment condition, it means that the RF power amplifier can work normally. Then, according to the preset detection cycle, the current value of the power supply path within the detection cycle can be detected to determine whether the current value obtained by the detection meets the judgment condition, thereby realizing the detection of abnormal current on the power supply path.

[0071] Optionally, the method further includes:

[0072] If n consecutive current values ​​among the N current values ​​do not meet the judgment condition, the power supply path is controlled to be disconnected, wherein n is a positive integer less than or equal to N.

[0073] If the current value V passing through the current detection circuit is greater than the current threshold value during N consecutive monitorings, it means that the current in the power supply path has always been abnormally large, that is, it exceeds the normal operating current by more than 5-10 times. In this case, it is determined that the RF power amplifier is burned out, and it is necessary to control the switch device to disconnect to reduce the occurrence of heating problems of electronic equipment caused by abnormally large currents.

[0074] Optionally, if the current values ​​in n consecutive detection operations out of N detection operations are all greater than the current threshold, it is determined that the RF power amplifier is burned out, and there is no need to perform false positive detection, therefore, the operation of detecting the current value of the power supply path is stopped.

[0075] Through the above actions, the abnormal protection circuit is accurately controlled to be correctly triggered, so as to avoid the abnormal triggering affecting the normal use of the RF power amplifier.

[0076] Since the current value in the power supply path may exceed the normal current value by a small margin in a short period of time, the current in the power supply path can be restored to the normal current value by increasing the resistance of the adjustable resistor, thereby ensuring that the current value in the power supply path is within the normal range.

[0077] The resistance range of the adjustable resistor is [A, B], where A and B are both positive integers. The initial value of the adjustable resistor on the power supply path is R0.

[0078] According to the maximum value B of the adjustable resistor and the initial value R0 of the adjustable resistor, the maximum value of the current that can be adjusted by the adjustable resistor is calculated to obtain the current tolerance value;

[0079] Determine the resistance of the adjustable component in the power supply path as the current value corresponding to the initial value, and obtain the initial current value;

[0080] The current adjustable value is determined according to the current initial value and the current tolerance value.

[0081] Figure 6 for Figure 3 The deployment diagram of the power control system is shown in FIG. Figure 6 As shown, the current detection circuit and the switch device are both arranged on a power supply path within the RF front-end device.

[0082] The above deployment method enables the power control system to be centrally deployed in the RF front-end device, which has the characteristics of high integration and can save the space occupied by the device.

[0083] Figure 7for Figure 3 Another deployment diagram of the power control system is shown in FIG. Figure 7 As shown, one of the impedance device, the current detection circuit and the switch device is arranged on the power supply path in the RF front-end device, and the other is arranged outside the RF front-end device.

[0084] The above deployment method allows the power control system to be distributed on the power supply path between the RF front-end device and the outside of the RF front-end device and the power module, which can reasonably utilize the external free space of the RF front-end device and improve space utilization.

[0085] The power control device provided in the embodiment of the present application is characterized in that it includes a memory and a processor, and is characterized in that a computer program is stored in the memory, and the processor is configured to run the computer program to execute the method described above.

[0086] The electronic device provided in the embodiment of the present application includes any of the power control systems or power control devices described above.

[0087] The electronic device provided in the embodiments of the present application includes any of the power control systems described above.

[0088] It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that all or some of the steps, systems, and functional modules / units in the methods disclosed above may be implemented as software, firmware, hardware, and appropriate combinations thereof. In hardware implementations, the division between the functional modules / units mentioned in the above description does not necessarily correspond to the division of physical components; for example, a physical component may have multiple functions, or a function or step may be performed by several physical components in cooperation. Some or all components may be implemented as software executed by a processor, such as a digital signal processor or a microprocessor, or implemented as hardware, or implemented as an integrated circuit, such as an application-specific integrated circuit. Such software may be distributed on a computer-readable medium, which may include a computer storage medium (or non-transitory medium) and a communication medium (or temporary medium). As known to those skilled in the art, the term computer storage medium includes volatile and non-volatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any method or technology for storing information (such as computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data). Computer storage media include, but are not limited to, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other memory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disks (DVD) or other optical disk storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tapes, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage, or any other medium that can be used to store the desired information and can be accessed by a computer. In addition, it is well known to those of ordinary skill in the art that communication media typically contain computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data in a modulated data signal such as a carrier wave or other transport mechanism, and may include any information delivery media.

Claims

1. A power control method, characterized in that: After an abnormal current value appears in the power supply path between the power module and the radio frequency power amplifier, the power supply path is controlled to be in a disconnected state and timing is started; After the timing duration reaches a preset duration, controlling the power supply path to be in an on state; Detecting whether the current value of the power supply path meets a preset judgment condition; If the current value satisfies the judgment condition, the power supply path is kept in an on state; If the current value is greater than the current threshold, the power supply path is controlled to be disconnected; Wherein, the current threshold is the maximum value of abnormal current when the RF power amplifier burns out; The maximum abnormal current value is the product of the maximum normal current value when the RF power amplifier is working normally and a preset coefficient, wherein the value of the preset coefficient is between 5 and 10; When the current value in the power supply path is greater than the maximum normal current value and less than the current threshold, if the current value is within the range of the adjustable current value, the resistance value of the adjustable resistor is adjusted so that the current of the power supply path returns to the normal range; The range of the adjustable current value is determined by: According to the maximum value within the resistance range of the adjustable resistor and the initial value of the adjustable resistor on the power supply path, the maximum value of the current that can be adjusted by the adjustable resistor is calculated to obtain the current tolerance value; Determine the resistance of the adjustable component in the power supply path as the current value corresponding to the initial value, and obtain the initial current value; The range of the adjustable current value is determined according to the initial current value and the current tolerance value.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The detecting whether the current value of the power supply path meets a preset judgment condition includes: Performing N operations of detecting the current value of the power supply path to obtain N current values; If one current value among the N current values ​​satisfies the judgment condition, the power supply path is kept in an on state, wherein N is an integer greater than or equal to 2.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that The method further comprises: After the current value meets the judgment condition, the detection operation of the current value abnormality is performed according to a preset detection cycle.

4. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that: The method further comprises: If n consecutive current values ​​among the N current values ​​do not meet the judgment condition, the power supply path is controlled to be disconnected, wherein n is a positive integer less than or equal to N.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that The method further comprises: After the power supply path is controlled to be disconnected, the operation of detecting the current value of the power supply path is stopped.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The detecting whether the current value of the power supply path meets a preset judgment condition includes: Detect whether the current value of the power supply path is greater than a preset current threshold value, and obtain a detection result If the detection result is less than or equal to the current threshold, the current value satisfies the judgment condition; otherwise, the current value does not satisfy the judgment condition.

7. A power control system, comprising a power module, a power supply path and a radio frequency amplifier, wherein the power module supplies power to the radio frequency amplifier through the power supply path, and wherein the power control circuit in the power supply path adopts the method described in any one of claims 1 to 6 to control the conduction state of the power supply path.

8. The system according to claim 7, characterized in that The power control circuit comprises a current detection circuit and a switch device; wherein the current detection circuit has a first connection terminal, a second connection terminal and a signal output terminal, wherein the switch device has a third connection terminal, a fourth connection terminal and a signal receiving terminal; wherein the first connection terminal is connected to the third connection terminal, the second connection terminal and the fourth connection terminal are respectively connected to the power supply path, and the signal output terminal is connected to the signal receiving terminal; wherein: The current detection circuit is used to detect whether the current value passing through the current detection circuit is greater than a preset current threshold value, and if the current value is greater than the current value, output a first power supply signal; otherwise, output a second power supply signal; The switch device is used to control the power supply path between the power supply module and the radio frequency power amplifier to be in a disconnected state after receiving a first power supply signal; and to control the power supply path to be in a conductive state when receiving a second power supply signal.

9. The system according to claim 8, characterized in that: The current detection circuit and the switch device are both arranged on a power supply path in the RF front-end device; or; One of the current detection circuit and the switch device is arranged on a power supply path inside the RF front-end device, and the other is arranged on a power supply path outside the RF front-end device.

10. An electronic device, characterized in that: It comprises a power supply control system as described in any one of claims 7 to 9.

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