Distributed active power combining amplifier

Abstract

A distributed active power combining amplifier includes at least one main amplifier having a first main portion and a second main portion, at least one peak amplifier having a first peak portion and a second peak portion, and a transformer having a primary side and a secondary side, the primary side having at least a first primary segment, a second primary segment, a third primary segment, and a fourth primary segment, wherein in a symmetric architecture, the first main portion is coupled to the first primary segment and the second primary segment, the first peak portion is coupled to the first primary segment or the second primary segment, the second main portion is coupled to the third primary segment and the fourth primary segment, and the second peak portion is coupled to the third primary segment or the fourth primary segment.

Description

[0001] Related applications

[0002] This application claims priority and benefit to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 086,800, filed October 2, 2020, entitled “DISTRIBUTED ACTIVE POWERCOMBINING POWER AMPLIFIER”, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety, as fully set forth below, and for all applicable purposes. Technical Field

[0003] This disclosure relates generally to electronic devices, and more specifically to radio frequency (RF) transmitters and receivers. Background Technology

[0004] Wireless communication devices and technologies are becoming increasingly prevalent, as are communication devices operating at various frequencies. Wireless communication devices typically transmit and receive communication signals.

[0005] In communication systems, transmitters typically use one or more amplifier stages and one or more mixers to upconvert signals for transmission. For example, in an upconversion path, a baseband (or near-baseband) signal or an intermediate frequency (IF) signal can be upconverted by a mixer to a radio frequency (RF) signal for transmission, and in a downconversion path, an RF signal can be downconverted by a mixer to an IF signal, or downconverted to a baseband (or near-baseband) signal for reception.

[0006] In the transmitter, the desired power amplifier provides the desired output power level, offers efficiency at full power and backoff power levels, and limits signal distortion and signal harmonics. Summary of the Invention

[0007] Various implementations of the systems, methods, and apparatuses within the scope of the appended claims each have several aspects, none of which alone is responsible for the desired properties described herein. Some prominent features are described herein without limiting the scope of the appended claims.

[0008] Details of one or more implementations of the subject matter described in this specification are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the following description. Other features, aspects, and advantages will become apparent from the specification, drawings, and claims. Note that the relative dimensions in the figures below may not be drawn to scale.

[0009] One aspect of this disclosure provides a distributed active power combined amplifier, the distributed active power combined amplifier comprising: at least one main amplifier having a first main portion and a second main portion, at least one peak amplifier having a first peak portion and a second peak portion, and a transformer having a primary side and a secondary side, the primary side having at least a first primary segment, a second primary segment, a third primary segment and a fourth primary segment, wherein in a symmetrical architecture, the first main portion is coupled to the first primary segment and the second primary segment, the first peak portion is coupled to either the first primary segment or the second primary segment, the second main portion is coupled to both the third primary segment and the fourth primary segment, and the second peak portion is coupled to either the third primary segment or the fourth primary segment.

[0010] Another aspect of this disclosure provides a method for operating an amplifier including a transformer, the method comprising: amplifying a communication signal to generate maximum power, increasing the impedance of the primary side of the transformer at reduced power, and amplifying the communication signal to generate reduced power while maintaining power efficiency within a 3dB range.

[0011] Another aspect of this disclosure provides an amplifier comprising: a transformer; means for amplifying a communication signal to generate maximum power; means for causing an increase in impedance on the primary side of the transformer under reduced power; and means for amplifying the communication signal to generate reduced power while maintaining power efficiency within the range of 3 dB.

[0012] Another aspect of this disclosure provides an amplifier comprising: a plurality of main amplifier sections, a plurality of peak amplifier sections, a transformer having a primary side and a secondary side, and a plurality of circuits, the primary side having a plurality of primary segments, each circuit being formed by a corresponding main amplifier section of the plurality of main amplifier sections, one or more corresponding peak amplifier sections of the plurality of peak amplifier sections, and two or more corresponding segments of the plurality of primary segments. Attached Figure Description

[0013] In the figures, unless otherwise specified, the same reference numerals denote the same parts in the various views. For reference numerals with letter character names (such as "102a" or "102b"), the letter character names can distinguish two similar parts or elements present in the same figure. When the reference numerals are intended to cover all parts with the same reference numerals in all figures, the letter character names of the reference numerals may be omitted.

[0014] Figure 1 This is a diagram showing a wireless device communicating with a wireless communication system.

[0015] Figure 2 This is a block diagram illustrating a wireless device in which exemplary technologies of this disclosure may be implemented.

[0016] Figure 3 This is a block diagram of at least a portion of an exemplary transmission chain in which an exemplary embodiment of a distributed active power combining power amplifier can be implemented.

[0017] Figure 4 This is a diagram showing a simplified switched capacitor power amplifier (SCPA) circuit.

[0018] Figure 5 This is a diagram illustrating an exemplary embodiment of a simplified Doherty amplifier.

[0019] Figure 6 It is shown Figure 5 A diagram illustrating a simplified example of the operation of a Doherty amplifier.

[0020] Figure 7A This is a diagram illustrating an example of a voltage-mode amplifier configured to operate in peak power (Psat) mode.

[0021] Figure 7B This is a diagram illustrating an example of a voltage-mode amplifier configured to operate in back-off power mode.

[0022] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary embodiment of a distributed active power combination power amplifier.

[0023] Figure 9 It is shown Figure 8 A graphical example of the operation of an exemplary embodiment of a distributed active power combining power amplifier.

[0024] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram illustrating another exemplary embodiment of a distributed active power combination power amplifier.

[0025] Figure 11 It is shown Figure 10 A diagram illustrating an example of the operation of an exemplary embodiment of a distributed active power combination power amplifier.

[0026] Figure 12 This is a flowchart illustrating an example of a method for providing high-efficiency power.

[0027] Figure 13 It is a functional block diagram of a device used to provide high-efficiency power. Detailed Implementation

[0028] The term “exemplary” as used herein means “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any aspect described herein as “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or superior to other aspects.

[0029] Modern wireless communication devices that operate at different frequencies in different communication bands must meet many radio frequency (RF) power transmission, efficiency, and energy emission standards.

[0030] Some communication systems and devices use a transmit and receive architecture called heterodyne or superheterodyne. Superheterodyne architecture uses an intermediate frequency (IF), meaning the transmitted signal is first up-converted from a baseband (or near-baseband) signal to an IF, and then up-converted from the IF to a radio frequency (RF) signal using a local oscillator (LO) frequency signal used for up-conversion and transmission of the IF signal. Similarly, the received signal is first down-converted from the RF frequency to the IF frequency, and then down-converted from the IF to a baseband (or near-baseband) signal for information recovery. Other communication systems use a direct conversion architecture that does not use an IF signal.

[0031] When a power amplifier is fed a multi-tone signal at its input, it amplifies the signal and generates unwanted intermodulation (IM) products. When the amplifier operates in the linear region, these intermodulation products are generated at various frequency multiples of the input signal that do not interfere with the main signal. However, as the power amplifier approaches its saturation point (Psat or Pmax) and enters the nonlinear operating region, interference increases. Because the amplifier operates in the nonlinear region, these interference products begin to interfere with the main signal, thus degrading the quality / linearity of the output signal.

[0032] In applications where it is desired that the amplifier operate only in the linear region, the amplifier should operate at a power level below saturation. This is to ensure that even with a slight increase in input power, the amplifier remains in the linear region and does not enter the nonlinear operating region.

[0033] Power back-off in an amplifier is a power level below the saturation point, where the amplifier will continue to operate in the linear region even with a slight increase in the input power level. Typically, a power amplifier is most efficient when operating close to its saturation point (Psat). However, at Psat, a small increase in input power causes the amplifier to move from the linear region to the saturation region. Therefore, to ensure the power amplifier operates in the linear region, the power level is reduced from the point of maximum efficiency to ensure that the power amplifier operates in the linear region with a slight increase in power. The amount of power level reduction is called power back-off. As the power output of the power amplifier decreases from Psat, the efficiency of the power amplifier decreases. Therefore, it is desirable to limit the decrease in efficiency of the power amplifier when it operates with power back-off.

[0034] One efficient amplifier architecture is the Doherty amplifier. Doherty amplifiers are typically used where high efficiency is desired. Like most amplifiers, Doherty amplifiers have maximum efficiency when operating at maximum power (also known as saturation power or Psat). However, to accommodate input signal peaks that may cause the amplifier to exceed its linear region and enter a nonlinear operating mode, Doherty power amplifiers are typically operated at a power level below their maximum power (often referred to as backoff power level or backoff power).

[0035] In one exemplary embodiment, the distributed active power combining power amplifier described herein provides improved efficiency and maintains its efficiency during power back-off.

[0036] In one exemplary embodiment, the distributed active power combining power amplifier described herein also limits distortion and harmonics.

[0037] Exemplary embodiments of the distributed active power combination power amplifier described herein can be used to amplify communication signals while maintaining high efficiency.

[0038] An exemplary embodiment of the distributed active power combination power amplifier described herein can be implemented using a voltage-mode Doherty amplifier architecture.

[0039] Figure 1 This diagram illustrates a wireless device 110 communicating with a wireless communication system 120. The wireless communication system 120 can be a Long Term Evolution (LTE) system, a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) system, a Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) system, a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) system, a 5G system, or some other wireless system. The CDMA system can implement Wideband CDMA (WCDMA), CDMA 1X, Evolved Data Optimized (EVDO), Time Division Synchronous CDMA (TD-SCDMA), or some other version of CDMA. For simplicity, Figure 1 A wireless communication system 120 is shown, comprising two base stations 130 and 132 and a system controller 140. Typically, a wireless communication system may include any number of base stations and any set of network entities.

[0040] Wireless device 110 may also be referred to as user equipment (UE), mobile station, terminal, access terminal, subscriber unit, station, etc. Wireless device 110 may be a cellular phone, smartphone, tablet, wireless modem, personal digital assistant (PDA), handheld device, laptop computer, smartbook, netbook, tablet, cordless phone, medical device, device configured to connect to one or more other devices (e.g., via the Internet of Things), wireless local loop (WLL) station, Bluetooth device, etc. Wireless device 110 can communicate with wireless communication system 120. Wireless device 110 can also receive signals from broadcast stations (e.g., broadcast station 134), signals from one or more satellites in a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) (e.g., satellite 150), etc. Wireless device 110 may support one or more radio technologies for wireless communication, such as LTE, WCDMA, CDMA1X, EVDO, TD-SCDMA, GSM, 802.11, 5G, etc.

[0041] Wireless device 110 may support carrier aggregation, such as that described in one or more LTE or 5G standards. In some embodiments, a single data stream is transmitted over multiple carriers using carrier aggregation, as opposed to a single carrier used for the respective data stream. Wireless device 110 may be able to operate over a wide range of communication bands, including those used by, for example, LTE, WiFi, 5G, or other communication bands.

[0042] Carrier aggregation (CA) can generally be classified into two types: intra-band CA and inter-band CA. Intra-band CA refers to operation on multiple carriers within the same frequency band. Inter-band CA refers to operation on multiple carriers in different frequency bands.

[0043] Figure 2 This is a block diagram illustrating a wireless device 200 in which exemplary technologies of the present disclosure may be implemented. For example, the wireless device 200 may be... Figure 1 An embodiment of the wireless device 110 shown.

[0044] Figure 2 An example of a transceiver 220 with a transmitter 230 and a receiver 250 is shown. Typically, signal conditioning in the transmitter 230 and receiver 250 can be performed by one or more stages of amplifiers, filters, up-converters, down-converters, etc. These circuit blocks can be connected to… Figure 2 The configurations shown are arranged differently. Furthermore, Figure 2 Other circuit blocks, not shown, can also be used to regulate the signals in transmitter 230 and receiver 250. Unless otherwise stated, Figure 2 Any signal in any of the other diagrams in the attached figures may be single-ended or differential. Figure 2Some circuit blocks can also be omitted.

[0045] exist Figure 2 In the example shown, wireless device 200 typically includes transceiver 220 and data processor 210. Data processor 210 may include processor 296 operatively coupled to memory 298. As exemplary software 299, memory 298 may be configured to store data and program code and may typically include analog and / or digital processing elements. Processor 296 and memory 298 may cooperate to control, configure, program, or otherwise fully or partially control the operation of embodiments of the distributed active power combination power amplifier described herein.

[0046] Transceiver 220 includes a transmitter 230 and a receiver 250 supporting bidirectional communication. Typically, wireless device 200 may include any number of transmitters and / or receivers for any number of communication systems and frequency bands. All or part of transceiver 220 may be implemented on one or more analog integrated circuits (ICs), RF ICs (RFICs), mixed-signal ICs, etc.

[0047] Transmitters or receivers can be implemented using either superheterodyne or direct conversion architectures. In a superheterodyne architecture, the signal undergoes frequency conversion between radio frequency (RF) and baseband in multiple stages; for example, for a receiver, it might be converted from RF to intermediate frequency (IF) in one stage and then from IF to baseband in another. In a direct conversion architecture, the signal undergoes frequency conversion between RF and baseband in a single stage. Superheterodyne and direct conversion architectures can use different circuit blocks and / or have different requirements. Figure 2 In the example shown, transmitter 230 and receiver 250 are implemented using a direct conversion architecture.

[0048] In the transmission path, data processor 210 processes the data to be transmitted and provides in-phase (I) and quadrature (Q) analog output signals to transmitter 230. In one exemplary embodiment, data processor 210 includes digital-to-analog converters (DACs) 214a and 214b for converting digital signals generated by data processor 210 into I and Q analog output signals, such as I and Q output currents, for further processing. In other embodiments, DACs 214a and 214b are included in transceiver 220, and data processor 210 provides data (e.g., for I and Q) digitally to transceiver 220.

[0049] Within transmitter 230, baseband (e.g., low-pass) filters 232a and 232b filter the I and Q analog transmission signals, respectively, to remove unwanted images caused by the previous digital-to-analog conversion. Amplifiers (Amps) 234a and 234b amplify the signals from baseband filters 232a and 232b, respectively, and provide the I and Q baseband signals. Upconverter 240 upconverts the I and Q baseband signals using the I and Q transmission (TX) local oscillator (LO) signals from TX LO signal generator 290, and provides the upconverted signals. Filter 242 filters the upconverted signals to remove unwanted images caused by the upconversion, as well as noise in the receive band. Power amplifier (PA) 244 amplifies the signal from filter 242 to obtain the desired output power level and provides the transmitted RF signal. The transmitted RF signal is routed through duplexer or switch 246 and transmitted via antenna 248. Sometimes, the duplexer or switch 246 may include other active or passive components and may be referred to as a front-end module (FEM). Although the examples discussed herein utilize I and Q signals, those skilled in the art will understand that the transceiver's components can be configured to utilize polarity modulation.

[0050] In the receiving path, antenna 248 receives communication signals and provides the received RF signal, which is routed through duplexer or switch 246 and provided to low-noise amplifier (LNA) 252. Duplexer 246 is designed to operate at a specific RX to TX duplexer frequency interval, such that the RX signal is isolated from the TX signal. The received RF signal is amplified by LNA 252 and filtered by filter 254 to obtain the desired RF input signal. Downconverters 261a and 261b in downconverter 260 mix the output of filter 254 with the I and Q received (RX) LO signals (i.e., LO_I and LO_Q) from RX LO signal generator 280 to generate I and Q baseband signals. The I and Q baseband signals are amplified by amplifiers 262a and 262b and further filtered by baseband (e.g., low-pass) filters 264a and 264b to obtain I and Q analog input signals, which are provided to data processor 210. In the exemplary embodiment shown, the data processor 210 includes analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) 216a and 216b for converting analog input signals into digital signals for further processing by the data processor 210. In some embodiments, ADCs 216a and 216b are included in a transceiver 220 and provide data to the data processor 210 digitally.

[0051] exist Figure 2In this configuration, TX LO signal generator 290 generates I and Q TX LO signals for up-conversion, while RX LO signal generator 280 generates I and Q RX LO signals for down-conversion. Each LO signal is a periodic signal with a specific base frequency. Phase-locked loop (PLL) 292 receives timing information from data processor 210 and generates control signals for adjusting the frequency and / or phase of the TX LO signals from LO signal generator 290. Similarly, PLL 282 receives timing information from data processor 210 and generates control signals for adjusting the frequency and / or phase of the RX LO signals from LO signal generator 280.

[0052] The wireless device 200 may support carrier aggregation (CA) and may (i) receive multiple downlink signals transmitted by one or more cells at different frequencies on multiple downlink carriers, and / or (ii) transmit multiple uplink signals to one or more cells on multiple uplink carriers. However, those skilled in the art will understand that the aspects described herein can be implemented in systems, devices, and / or architectures that do not support carrier aggregation.

[0053] Figure 2 The transceiver 220 is functionally illustrated in the diagram, and the configuration shown may or may not represent the physical device configuration in some implementations. For example, as described above, the transceiver 220 may be implemented in various integrated circuits (ICs), RFICs, mixed-signal ICs, etc. In some embodiments, the transceiver 220 is implemented on a substrate or board, such as a printed circuit board (PCB) having various modules. For example, the power amplifier 244, filter 242, and duplexer 246 may be implemented in separate modules or as discrete components, while the remaining components shown in the transceiver 220 may be implemented in a single transceiver chip.

[0054] Power amplifier 244 may include one or more stages, such as driver stages, power amplifier stages, or other components, which may be configured to amplify communication signals at one or more frequencies, in one or more frequency bands, and at one or more power levels. Depending on various factors, power amplifier 244 may be configured to operate using one or more driver stages, one or more power amplifier stages, one or more impedance matching networks, and may be configured to provide good linearity, good efficiency, or a combination of good linearity and efficiency. Other output stages may be implemented in power amplifier 244 to replace or supplement the aforementioned stages.

[0055] Exemplary embodiments of the distributed active power combining power amplifier described herein can be implemented in one or more locations, such as within filter 242, power amplifier 244, duplexer or switch 246, or elsewhere. In some embodiments, the distributed active power combining power amplifier described herein can be implemented on the same IC and / or within the same module as filter 242, power amplifier 244, or duplexer or switch 246. In some embodiments, power amplifier 244 and filter 242 can be implemented together in a single module. In other embodiments, one or more of these elements can be implemented separately from the module or IC in which another element is implemented. Although described above, the analog signal is generated by power amplifier 244 (and by...) Figure 2 The architecture for processing (all other components besides the data processor 210 shown) can be implemented, but it is possible to implement an architecture in which the amplifier (e.g., power amplifier) ​​of the transceiver 220 is configured as a digital amplifier or otherwise configured to amplify digital signals.

[0056] Figure 3 This is a block diagram of at least a portion of an exemplary transmission chain 300 in which a distributed active power combining power amplifier can be implemented. In an exemplary embodiment, transmission chain 300 can be implemented in a millimeter-wave (mmW) or non-mmW communication device that implements a superheterodyne architecture, in which a communication signal to be transmitted can be converted from a baseband (or near-baseband) information signal to an intermediate frequency (IF) signal, and then up-converted from the IF to a radio frequency (RF) signal. Similarly, a received communication signal can be down-converted from an RF signal to an IF signal, and then further down-converted from the IF signal to a baseband (or near-baseband) information signal. In one exemplary embodiment, transmission chain 300 can also be implemented in a communication device that implements a direct conversion architecture. The exemplary transmission chain 300 shown for illustrative purposes only may include a communication device (such as wireless device 200). Figure 2 Part of the transport chain in )).

[0057] In one exemplary embodiment, the transmission chain 300 may include a mixer 302 configured to receive intermediate frequency (IF) communication signals via differential connection 304 and local oscillator (LO) signals via differential connection 306. The mixer 302 may be referred to as an up-conversion mixer and may be configured to operate within different frequency ranges.

[0058] In one exemplary embodiment, the transmission chain 300 may include one or more amplifier stages, wherein Figure 3Only three exemplary amplifier stages 320, 322, and 324 are shown as examples. The three amplifier stages 320, 322, and 324 can be configured to provide the same or different levels of signal amplification. In one exemplary embodiment, the first amplifier stage 320 and the second amplifier stage 322 can be referred to as driver stages, and the third amplifier stage 324 can be referred to as a power amplifier. Depending on the application, the transport chain may include more or fewer amplifier stages.

[0059] In one exemplary embodiment, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, one or more of amplifier stages 320, 322, and 324 can be implemented as voltage-mode amplifiers and can be implemented as distributed active power combining power amplifiers. Some exemplary embodiments of the distributed active power combining power amplifiers described herein can be implemented using a voltage-mode Doherty amplifier architecture. In one exemplary embodiment, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, amplifier stage 324 can be implemented as a distributed active power combining power amplifier.

[0060] In one exemplary embodiment, transmission chain 300 may include one or more transformers 310, 312, 314, and 316. Transformers 310, 312, 314, and 316 may be configured to transmit communication signals, such as RF signals, from amplifier stage to amplifier stage. Transformers 310, 312, 314, and 316 may each include a primary side and a secondary side. For example, transformer 310 may include a primary side 332 and a secondary side 333. Similarly, transformer 312 may include a primary side 334 and a secondary side 335; transformer 314 may include a primary side 336 and a secondary side 337; and transformer 316 may include a primary side 338 and a secondary side 339. The output of the third amplifier stage 324 may be provided to a radio frequency (RF) front-end module (FEM) 342 via transformer 316, and then to an antenna 344 for transmission. In one exemplary embodiment, the RF FEM 342 may include a duplexer or switch, such as... Figure 2 Component 246 is shown in the figure.

[0061] Transformers 310, 312, 314, and 316 can be implemented as double-tuned transformers, in which the inductances on the primary and secondary sides can be individually tuned / resonated using capacitors (not shown) across each inductor. Double-tuned transformers are typically used for broadband operation.

[0062] Although the above Figure 3The description includes an example of a mmW communication device, but the transmission chain 300 is not limited thereto, and the examples / embodiments described herein can be used for communication at frequencies greater than mmW. For example, the transmission chain 300 can be configured for use with signals at frequencies of about 2.4 GHz and / or 5-7 GHz, such as those described in 3GPP (e.g., LTE, 5G, etc.), IEEE (e.g., 802.11), or other standards. In some embodiments, one or more transformers of transformers 310-314 and / or one or more transformers of amplifiers 320, 322 are omitted. Furthermore, it will be understood that connection 304 does not need to be configured to receive IF signals; for example, connection 304 can be configured to receive baseband (or near-baseband) signals, such as in a direct conversion architecture.

[0063] Figure 4 Figure 400 illustrates a simplified switched capacitor power amplifier (SCPA) circuit. In one exemplary embodiment, the switched capacitor power amplifier circuit 410 may include: a plurality of capacitors (C0 to C10). N )414, 415, 416 and 417; and multiple switches (b0 to b) N 421, 422, 423, and 424. Depending on the implementation, the capacitors (C0 to C...) N The values ​​of 414, 415, 416, and 417 can be the same or different. The number "N" can be selected based on the amplifier design and the desired performance. Switches 421, 422, 423, and 424 can be controlled by control signals from data processor 210 (such as from processor 296 and memory 298) or from another controller.

[0064] System power supply voltage V C A terminal is provided through node 412 for capacitors 414, 415, 416, and 417. Inductor L0426 may have a first terminal coupled to node 412 and coupled to resistor V. R The second terminal of the 428. The 428 resistor may have another terminal coupled to system ground and may also be referred to as an output resistor (Rout) or output load.

[0065] In one exemplary embodiment, the positions of switches 421, 422, 423, and 424 determine the number of capacitors 414, 415, 416, and 417 coupled to inductor 426, and consequently determine the power output of the switched capacitor power amplifier circuit 410 across resistor 428.

[0066] In one exemplary embodiment, when the input voltage V CWhen the voltage is relatively high, such as as shown in Figure 440, the output of the switched capacitor power amplifier circuit 410 is also proportionally higher, as shown in Figure 442. Similarly, in an exemplary embodiment, when the input voltage V... C At relatively low voltages, such as as shown in Figure 450, the output of the switched capacitor power amplifier circuit 410 is also proportionally lower, as shown in Figure 452. Figures 440 and 442 correspond to the switched capacitor power amplifier circuit 410, which can be considered as a "full voltage" switched capacitor power amplifier circuit 410, and Figures 450 and 452 correspond to the switched capacitor power amplifier circuit 410, which can be considered as a "back-off voltage" switched capacitor power amplifier circuit 410.

[0067] Figure 5 This is a diagram illustrating an exemplary embodiment of a simplified Doherty amplifier 500. The simplified Doherty amplifier 500 includes an input splitter 502 (also called a quadrature generator), a main amplifier 504 (also called a carrier amplifier), a peak amplifier 506, a bandpass filter 508, a bandpass filter 512, a quarter-impedance inverter 514, and a quarter-impedance transformer 516.

[0068] The input signal Vin is provided to the splitter 502 through node 501. The splitter 502 separates the power of the input signal Vin and generates two out-of-phase signals, which can be, for example, 90 degrees out of phase. For example, the signal on connection 521 can be in a -90-degree phase, and the signal on connection 523 can be in a -180-degree phase. Other phases are also possible; only -90 degrees and -180 degrees are shown as examples.

[0069] The main amplifier 504 can be configured to operate as a Class AB amplifier, and the peak amplifier 506 can be configured to operate as a Class C amplifier. The output of the main amplifier 504 can be provided to the bandpass filter 508 via connection 525, and the output of the peak amplifier 506 can be provided to the bandpass filter 512 via connection 527. The main amplifier 504 and the peak amplifier 506 can have the following characteristics: Figure 4 The architecture can be a switched capacitor power amplifier, or it can have another voltage-mode architecture.

[0070] A 1 / 4-wave impedance inverter 514 aligns the phases of the respective outputs of bandpass filters 508 and 512 and provides a phase alignment signal at connection 531. A 1 / 4-wave impedance transformer 516 matches the impedance of the signal at connection 531 to a load (not shown) that can be coupled to output node 519.

[0071] Figure 6 It is shown Figure 5 Figure 600 shows an example of the simplified operation of a Doherty amplifier. Figure 6 The concepts illustrated can also indicate the operation of other voltage-mode architectures, such as using a main amplifier and peak amplifier architecture in a different configuration than the Doherty amplifier. The continuously varying time-varying signal 605 can have time-varying signal energy (e.g., a voltage that varies from -V to +V). When the time-varying signal 605 remains within region 610, the time-varying signal 605 is only... Figure 5 The main amplifier 504 amplifies the signal. However, when the time-varying signal 605 exceeds region 610 and enters region 620 or region 625, the peak amplifier 506 is activated and used to amplify the signal 605. Control of the main amplifier 504 and the peak amplifier 506 can be implemented using various techniques, including, for example, methods in which the main amplifier 504 and the peak amplifier 506 are biased. In this manner, when the signal energy is relatively low, only the main amplifier 504 amplifies the signal 605, and the peak amplifier 506 amplifies the signal 605 only when the signal energy exceeds a threshold (e.g., -Vth or +Vth).

[0072] Figure 7A This is a diagram illustrating an example of a voltage-mode amplifier 700 configured to operate in peak power (Psat) mode. The voltage-mode amplifier 700 can be... Figure 3 An example of one or more amplifiers in an amplifier configuration. Voltage-mode amplifier 700 includes a peak + voltage source 702, a main - voltage source 704, a main + voltage source 706, and a peak - voltage source 708. In one exemplary embodiment, the peak + voltage source 702, main - voltage source 704, main + voltage source 706, and peak - voltage source 708 may include... Figure 5 The implementation of the main amplifier 504 and the peak amplifier 506. Figure 7A The example of a voltage-mode amplifier shown is a primary-load modulated voltage-mode Doherty amplifier, where the main amplifier and the peak amplifier are each coupled to one of two transformers. Other configurations are also possible, such as a secondary-load modulated voltage-mode Doherty amplifier, where the main amplifier is coupled to one transformer and the peak amplifier is coupled to the other transformer.

[0073] In one exemplary embodiment, the peak + voltage source 702 and the main - voltage source 704 may be coupled to the primary side 712 of the transformer 710. The secondary side 714 of the transformer 710 may be coupled to the load resistor 739.

[0074] The main positive voltage source 706 and the peak negative voltage source 708 can be coupled to the primary side 722 of the transformer 720. The secondary side 724 of the transformer 710 can be coupled to the load resistor 739.

[0075] In one exemplary embodiment, the arrangement of the voltage-mode main amplifiers 704, 706 and the voltage-mode peak amplifiers 702, 708 in the voltage-mode amplifier 700 eliminates elements that perform impedance inversion and impedance transformation. In one exemplary embodiment, the voltage-mode amplifier 700 represents a Doherty amplifier configured to provide peak power, i.e., operation at a power level corresponding to Psat.

[0076] Figure 7B This indicates that it is configured to operate in back-off power mode. Figure 7A A diagram illustrating an example of a voltage-mode amplifier 700. The voltage-mode amplifier 750 includes a peak + voltage source 702, a main - voltage source 704, a main + voltage source 706, and a peak - voltage source 708. However, in... Figure 7B In the example shown, peak + voltage source 702 and peak - voltage source 708 are shown in dashed lines to indicate that they are not operating or disconnected. In one exemplary embodiment, peak + voltage source 702, main - voltage source 704, main + voltage source 706, and peak - voltage source 708 may include Figure 5 The implementation of the main amplifier 504 and the peak amplifier 506.

[0077] exist Figure 7A In the voltage-mode amplifier 700, it is shown that the output of the cross-load resistor 739 is the maximum power Psat when all voltage sources, peak + voltage source 702, main - voltage source 704, main + voltage source 706 and peak - voltage source 708 are operating.

[0078] exist Figure 7B In the voltage-mode amplifier 750, when a portion of the voltage sources (peak+ voltage source 702 and peak-voltage source 708 in this example) is not operating, the output across the load resistor 739 is less than the maximum power, for example, outputting at backoff power. In some examples, the amplifier operates at power below 6dB, which can be referred to as 6dB backoff.

[0079] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary embodiment of a distributed active power combining power amplifier. The distributed active power combining power amplifier 800 may be... Figure 3An example of amplifier 324 and transformer 316. In one exemplary embodiment, the distributed active power combining power amplifier will be described as a voltage-mode Doherty amplifier; however, other voltage-mode power amplifier architectures may be used. In one exemplary embodiment, the distributed active power combining power amplifier 800 includes a transformer 810 having a primary side 812 and a secondary side 818. In one exemplary embodiment, the primary side 812 may include multiple segments, and in this exemplary embodiment, includes primary segment 813, primary segment 814, primary segment 815, and primary segment 816.

[0080] In this example, the secondary side 818 comprises a single segment and can be coupled to an antenna, front-end module, filter, RF front-end, etc. Although shown as having a specific shape, the transformer 810 can be implemented in various shapes and configurations. In one exemplary embodiment, the primary side 812 and / or the secondary side 818 can be implemented using planar inductor elements.

[0081] In one exemplary embodiment, amplifier 820, such as a driver amplifier, power amplifier, or another amplifier, may be divided into a main portion and a peak portion, and may be represented by a main portion 822, a main portion 824, a peak portion 826, and a peak portion 828. Amplifier 820 may be Figure 7A and Figure 7B A single instance of a voltage-mode amplifier, and in one exemplary embodiment, may be implemented using a Doherty architecture or any other voltage-mode amplifier (e.g., a voltage-mode PA) configuration. Each amplifier section may be of equal size and have the same or similar operating characteristics, or each amplifier section may include sections with different amplifier sizes and different amplifier characteristics. In one exemplary embodiment, main sections 822 and 824 may include two (2) identical amplifier sections; and peak sections 826 and 828 may include two (2) identical amplifier sections. In one exemplary embodiment, main sections 822, 824, 826, and 828 may include four (4) identical amplifier sections. In other exemplary embodiments, main sections 822, 824, 826, and 828 may be of unequal size and may have different operating characteristics.

[0082] In one exemplary embodiment, main portions 822, 824, 826, and 828 are symmetrically coupled to corresponding symmetrical segments of the primary side 812 of the transformer 810. For example, the positive (+) output of main portion 822 is coupled to one side of the primary segment 815, and the negative (-) output of main portion 822 is coupled to one side of the primary segment 814. Similarly, the positive (+) output of main portion 824 is coupled to one side of the primary segment 813, and the negative (-) output of main portion 824 is coupled to one side of the primary segment 816.

[0083] In one exemplary embodiment, the positive (+) output of peak portion 826 is coupled to one side of primary segment 816, and the negative (-) output of peak portion 826 is coupled to one side of primary segment 813. Similarly, the positive (+) output of peak portion 828 is coupled to one side of primary segment 814, and the negative (-) output of peak portion 828 is coupled to one side of primary segment 815.

[0084] In other words, primary segment 813 is coupled to main segment 824 and peak segment 826, primary segment 814 is coupled to main segment 822 and peak segment 828, primary segment 816 is coupled to main segment 824 and peak segment 826, and primary segment 815 is coupled to main segment 822 and peak segment 828.

[0085] In one exemplary embodiment, the first primary circuit 817 is formed by a main portion 822, a primary segment 815, a peak portion 828, and a primary segment 814. Similarly, the second primary circuit 819 is formed by a main portion 824, a primary segment 813, a peak portion 826, and a primary segment 816. The primary segments 813, 814, 815, and 816 are close to each other, and because current always flows in both the first and second primary circuits 817 and 819, because the main portion 822 is always on and coupled to the first primary circuit 817, and the main portion 824 is always on and coupled to the second primary circuit 819, circuits 817 and 819 are considered strongly coupled even if the peak portions 826 and 828 can be turned off. Circuits 817 and 819 are considered strongly coupled because they are always coupled to the main amplifier portion and because current always flows in circuits 817 and 819.

[0086] In one exemplary embodiment, each loop 817 and 819 has a main portion and a peak portion. The first loop 817 includes a main portion 822 and a peak portion 828; and the second loop 819 includes a main portion 824 and a peak portion 826.

[0087] In one exemplary embodiment, the symmetrical coupling of the main portions 822 and 824 and the peak portions 826 and 828 with the primary segments 813, 814, 815 and 816 results in a symmetrical architecture that improves Psat and also enhances efficiency during power back-off.

[0088] Operating the main sections 822 and 824, as well as the peak sections 826 and 828, as voltage-mode Doherty (VMD) amplifiers can also improve efficiency at back-off power. Figure 8 In the illustrated arrangement, dividing the amplifier driver unit into main sections 822 and 824, fed by symmetrical primary-side transformer sections 813, 814, 815, and 816, and peak sections 826 and 828, provides symmetry by increasing the impedance of the primary side 812 of the transformer when peak sections 826 and 828 are turned off, which may occur in back-off power conditions. Increasing the impedance of the primary side 812 of the transformer reduces the losses of the main sections 822 and 824, thereby improving the efficiency when peak sections 826 and 828 are turned off. For example, peak sections 826 and 828 can be turned off when it is desired to transmit less power (e.g., back-off power). In this example, when the peak sections 826 and 828 are turned off, the symmetry of the main sections 822 and 824, as well as the peak sections 826 and 828, and the symmetrical arrangement of the primary sections 813, 814, 815, and 816 of the transformer 810, allows half the power to be observed on the secondary side 818 of the transformer 810 (in this example). Meanwhile, when the peak sections 826 and 828 are turned off, the increased impedance on the primary side 812 of the transformer reduces the losses in the main sections 822 and 824, thereby improving efficiency. In this way, efficiency under backoff power is locally maximized.

[0089] Figure 9 It is shown Figure 8 Figure 900 provides a graphical example of the operation of an exemplary embodiment of a distributed active power combining power amplifier. Figure 910 includes a horizontal axis 902 showing power back-off (PBO) in dB and a vertical axis 904 showing power increase efficiency (PAE) in dB. Trace 912 shows the relationship between the baseline power amplifier output and PAE as a dashed line, where point 915 represents the maximum power Psat, i.e., 0 dB back-off.

[0090] Trajectory 914 indicates Figure 8The exemplary operation of the distributed active power combination power amplifier 800 is shown. Trace 914 includes portions 916 and 918. As the maximum power decreases from point Psat 915, portion 916 of trace 914 shows an initial decrease in efficiency as the power decreases. When the power backs up to -6 dB at point 917, the efficiency recovers to approximately the same level as the efficiency at point Psat 915, for example, because peak portions 826 and 828 are turned off. Depending on the application, the PAE between points 915 and 917 can be within a range (e.g., the minimum PAE between points 915 and 917 can be 5 dB lower than the PAE at points 915 and / or 917, for example, less than 3 dB or less than 1 dB lower than the maximum PAE in some implementations), or it can be within a percentage range (e.g., the minimum PAE between points 915 and 917 can be within 15% of the PAE at points 915 and / or 917, for example, within 10%, 5%, 3%, or even 1% of the maximum PAE in some implementations). Therefore, the reduced PAE between points 915 and 917 can be maintained to be similar to the PAE at point 915 (e.g., the maximum PAE). Then, portion 918 of trace 914 shows the efficiency drop as the power decreases further from the -6 dB back-off point 917. In some examples, peak portions 826 and 828 are off during portion 918. Although the PAEs of points 917 and 915 are approximately equal in this embodiment, in other embodiments, for example, depending on the configuration of parts 822 and 824, the PAEs at these points may differ compared to parts 826 and 828.

[0091] Also refer to Figure 8 In one exemplary embodiment, as described above, the loop 817 formed by the main portion 822, the primary segment 815, the peak portion 828, and the primary segment 814, and the loop 816 formed by the main portion 824, the primary segment 813, the peak portion 826, and the primary segment 816 (… Figure 8 The resulting loop 819 is strongly coupled.

[0092] For example, when peak portions 826 and 828 are turned off, current still flows in the first primary circuit 817 and the second primary circuit 819 because the main portion 822 is coupled to the first primary circuit 817 and the main portion 824 is coupled to the second primary circuit 819. When peak portions 826 and 828 are turned off, they act as capacitors; however, the strong coupling between the first primary circuit 817 and the second primary circuit 819 helps to distribute the capacitive effect of the turned-off peak portions 826 and 828. In this way, the efficiency during power back-off is locally maximized when one or more of the peak portions 826 and 828 are turned off.

[0093] Figure 10This is a schematic diagram illustrating another exemplary embodiment of a distributed active power combining power amplifier 1000. In one exemplary embodiment, the distributed active power combining power amplifier is configured as a voltage-mode Doherty amplifier; however, other power amplifier architectures may be used. The distributed active power combining power amplifier 1000 includes a transformer 1010 having a primary side 1012 and a secondary side 1018. In one exemplary embodiment, the primary side 1012 may be divided into four (4) sets, each set having four (4) segments, such that a 4:1 transformer ratio is established between the primary side 1012 and the secondary side 1018.

[0094] In one exemplary embodiment, the first primary set 1012a may include primary segments 1013, 1014, 1015 and 1016; the second primary set 1012b may include primary segments 1023, 1024, 1025 and 1026; the third primary set 1012c may include primary segments 1033, 1034, 1035 and 1036; and the fourth primary set 1012d may include primary segments 1043, 1044, 1045 and 1046.

[0095] In one exemplary embodiment, the main amplifier (M) 1052 can be divided into main portions 1052a, 1052b, 1052c, and 1052d. In one exemplary embodiment, the first peak amplifier (P1) 1054 can be divided into first peak portions 1054a, 1054b, 1054c, and 1054d; the second peak amplifier (P2) 1056 can be divided into second peak portions 1056a, 1056b, 1056c, and 1056d; and the third peak amplifier (P3) 1058 can be divided into third peak portions 1058a, 1058b, 1058c, and 1058d.

[0096] In an exemplary embodiment, the first primary circuit 1017 may be formed by coupling the positive (+) output terminal of the main portion 1052a and the negative (-) output terminal of the first peak portion 1054b to the primary segment 1013; coupling the positive (+) output terminal of the first peak portion 1054b and the negative (-) output terminal of the second peak portion 1056c to the primary segment 1023; coupling the positive (+) output terminal of the second peak portion 1056c and the negative (-) output terminal of the third peak portion 1058d to the primary segment 1033; and coupling the positive (+) output terminal of the third peak portion 1058d and the negative (-) output terminal of the main portion 1052a to the primary segment 1043.

[0097] In an exemplary embodiment, the second primary circuit 1019 may be formed by coupling the positive (+) output terminal of the first peak portion 1054a and the negative (-) output terminal of the second peak portion 1056b to the primary segment 1014; coupling the positive (+) output terminal of the second peak portion 1056b and the negative (-) output terminal of the third peak portion 1058c to the primary segment 1024; coupling the positive (+) output terminal of the third peak portion 1058c and the negative (-) output terminal of the main portion 1052d to the primary segment 1034; and coupling the positive (+) output terminal of the main portion 1052d and the negative (-) output terminal of the first peak portion 1054a to the primary segment 1044.

[0098] In one exemplary embodiment, the third primary circuit 1021 may be formed by coupling the positive (+) output terminal of the second peak portion 1056a and the negative (-) output terminal of the third peak portion 1058b to the primary segment 1015; coupling the positive (+) output terminal of the third peak portion 1058b and the negative (-) output terminal of the main portion 1052c to the primary segment 1025; coupling the positive (+) output terminal of the main portion 1052c and the negative (-) output terminal of the first peak portion 1054d to the primary segment 1035; and coupling the positive (+) output terminal of the first peak portion 1054d and the negative (-) output terminal of the second peak portion 1056a to the primary segment 1045.

[0099] In one exemplary embodiment, the fourth primary circuit 1027 may be formed by coupling the positive (+) output terminal of the third peak portion 1058a and the negative (-) output terminal of the main portion 1052b to the primary segment 1016; coupling the positive (+) output terminal of the main portion 1052b and the negative (-) output terminal of the first peak portion 1054c to the primary segment 1026; coupling the positive (+) output terminal of the first peak portion 1054c and the negative (-) output terminal of the second peak portion 1056d to the primary segment 1036; and coupling the positive (+) output terminal of the second peak portion 1056d and the negative (-) output terminal of the third peak portion 1058a to the primary segment 1046.

[0100] As shown in the figure, the symmetry provided by the positive and negative output terminals of the main amplifier 1052, the first peak amplifier 1054, the second peak amplifier 1056, and the third peak amplifier 1058 establishes virtual grounds at the corner grounding connections 1062, 1064, 1066, and 1068 of the transformer 1010. Virtual grounds can be created when the differential currents from the positive and negative output terminals of the amplifier sections cancel each other out.

[0101] Figure 10The transformer and amplifier architecture shown forms a distributed active combiner that provides improved efficiency during power back-off. Figure 10 In the exemplary embodiment shown, the transformer is a 4:1 combiner, and the amplifier is divided into four (4) instances, each instance being a main amplifier 1052, a first peak amplifier (P1) 1054, a second peak amplifier (P2) 1056, and a third peak amplifier (P3) 1058; and the inductor that may form the primary side 1012 may include a planar inductor divided into four (4) sets, each set having four (4) segments, wherein each segment of each set, together with the amplifier instances, forms four symmetrical loops 1017, 1019, 1021, and 1027.

[0102] In one exemplary embodiment, each loop is coupled in rotational symmetry to one instance of the main amplifier (M) 1052, the first peak amplifier (P1) 1054, the second peak amplifier (P2) 1056, and the third peak amplifier (P3) 1058, so that each loop 1017, 1019, 1021, and 1027 has one instance of each amplifier section as described above. Each loop has one instance of four amplifier sections, wherein each amplifier instance is individually controllable, such that any combination of loops 1017, 1019, 1021, and 1027 can be switched on.

[0103] If one peak amplifier (such as, for example, a portion of the first peak amplifier 1054) is turned off, four (4) instances of the 16 amplifier portions are turned off, and the power is reduced by a first back-off. For example, the first back-off could be approximately 3 dB (-3 dB back-off). However, due to the symmetry of the connection between the amplifier and the primary portion of the transformer, the secondary side 1018 only sees a power reduction of 3 dB. The symmetry of the connection between the amplifier and the primary portion of the transformer allows the PAE of the distributed active power combined power amplifier 1000 to be substantially maintained as the power decreases from Psat to a power less than Psat (back-off power).

[0104] If, in addition to a portion of the first peak amplifier 1054, one of the peak portions of the second peak portion (P2) 1056 or the third peak portion (P3) 1058 is turned off, then in this example, half of the drivers are turned off, and since one instance of the main portion 1052 remains at each corner of the primary side 1012, and another peak portion of the second peak portion (P2) 1056 or the third peak portion (P3) 1058 remains on, in this example, only a power reduction is seen on the secondary side 1018, where there is no fluctuation in impedance or impedance transformation.

[0105] Although Figure 10The illustrated embodiment includes a secondary side with four sides, four primary loops, and a 4:1 combination, but the embodiment is not limited thereto. For example, two primary loops may surround the four sides of the secondary side. In such an embodiment, each primary segment may be positioned near two sides of the secondary side, and a 2:1 combination may be achieved. In other embodiments, the secondary side may be configured with eight sides, for example, in an equiangular or other octagonal shape. There may be a corresponding number (e.g., eight) of primary loops, or fewer. Each primary loop may include a main portion and one or more peak portions (where the number of peak portions is one less than the number of primary loops). The primary loops may be symmetrically arranged around the secondary side, for example, such that the primary portions are evenly distributed around the secondary side. Thus, transformer 1010 can be configured in any number of shapes, and any combination ratio of various ratios can be achieved depending on the selected number of primary loops (which may vary between different embodiments). It can be seen that the primary loops in amplifier 1000 are concentric. In contrast, the primary loops in amplifier 800 intersect each other. For example, the main part 822 is coupled to a primary segment (815) that is further away from the secondary side 818 (e.g., compared to the primary segment 816) and a primary segment (814) that is closer to the secondary side 818 (e.g., compared to the primary segment 814), rather than being coupled to two primary segments that are either both closer to the secondary side 818 or both further away from the secondary side 818.

[0106] One or both of amplifiers 800 and 1000 can be configured as digital power amplifiers and / or used in a digital transmitter architecture. In other examples, amplifier 800 or amplifier 1000 can be used in an analog configuration. In some examples, amplifier 800 or 1000 is configured to amplify orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) signals.

[0107] Figure 11 It is shown Figure 10 Figure 1100 provides a graphical example of the operation of an exemplary embodiment of a distributed active power combining power amplifier. Figure 1110 includes a horizontal axis 1102 showing power back-off (PBO) in dB and a vertical axis 1104 showing power increase efficiency (PAE) in dB. Trace 1112 shows the relationship between the baseline power amplifier output and PAE as a dashed line, and point 1115 represents the maximum power Psat, i.e., 0 dB back-off.

[0108] Trajectory 1114 indicates Figure 10 The operation of the exemplary distributed active power combination power amplifier 1000 is shown. Trace 1114 includes portions 1116, 1118, 1120, and 1122.

[0109] When the maximum power is reduced and eventually shut off Figure 10As the peak amplifier section decreases from point Psat 1115, portion 1116 of trace 1114 shows an initial decrease in efficiency with decreasing power. The first back-off is reached at point 1119 (at...). Figure 11 In the embodiment where the efficiency is -3dB, the efficiency recovers to approximately the same level as the efficiency of Psat at point 1115 in the illustrated embodiment. In other embodiments, the efficiency may exhibit a local maximum at approximately the first backoff point, different from that at point 1115.

[0110] Because maximum power is achieved by reducing power and eventually shutting down. Figure 10 The efficiency decreases further with decreasing power, as shown by section 1118 of trace 1114, where the two peak amplifier sections further reduce the power. The second back-off occurs at point 1117 when the power is reduced (at...). Figure 11 In the embodiment, when it is -6dB, the efficiency recovers to roughly the same level as the efficiency of Psat at point 1115 (or recovers to a different local maximum).

[0111] Because maximum power is achieved by reducing power and eventually shutting down. Figure 10 The three peak amplifiers in the peak amplifier section further reduce efficiency, and section 11120 of trace 1114 shows another decrease in efficiency as power decreases. The third back-off is reached at point 1121 when power is reduced (at...). Figure 11 In the embodiment, when the power falls back to -12dB, the efficiency recovers to approximately the same level as the efficiency of Psat at point 1115 (or recovers to a different local maximum). As the power decreases further from the -12dB backoff point 1121, portion 1122 of trace 1114 shows a further decrease in efficiency. It should be understood that the first backoff, second backoff, and third backoff can be equally spaced from each other (e.g., in multiples of -3dB), or the spacing between them can vary depending on the configuration of the main and peak portions of the primary circuit (e.g., ...). Figure 11(As shown). Depending on the application, the PAE between point 1115 and point 1121 can be within a certain range (e.g., the lowest local minimum of the PAE between point 1115 and point 1121 can be 5 dB lower than the PAE at points 1115, 1117, 1119, and / or 1121, for example, less than 3 dB or less than 1 dB lower than the highest PAE in some implementations), or it can be within a certain percentage (e.g., the minimum of the PAE between point 1115 and point 1121 can be within 15% of the PAE at points 1115, 1117, 1119, and / or 1121, for example, within 10%, 5%, 3%, or even 1% of the highest PAE in some implementations). Therefore, any reduction in PAE anywhere between point 1115 and point 1121 can be maintained to be similar to the PAE at point 1115 (e.g., the maximum PAE).

[0112] Figure 12 This is a flowchart 1200 illustrating an example of a method for providing high-efficiency power. The blocks in method 1200 may be executed in the order shown or not, and in some embodiments, they may be executed at least partially in parallel.

[0113] In box 1202, the main amplifier section and the peak amplifier section are controlled to generate maximum power. For example, the main amplifier section and the peak amplifier section can be controlled. Figure 8 The main sections 822 and 824, and the peak sections 826 and 828 of the amplifier 820 are used to generate the maximum power Psat. Alternatively, the amplifier can be controlled... Figure 10 The main amplifier (M) 1052, the first peak amplifier (P1) 1054, the second peak amplifier (P2) 1056 and the third peak amplifier (P3) 1058 are used to generate the maximum power Psat.

[0114] In block 1204, the impedance of the primary side of the transformer is increased. For example, the amplifier unit is divided into main sections 822 and 824 fed by symmetrical primary-side transformer sections 813, 814, 815, and 816, and peak sections 826 and 828, providing symmetry in increasing the impedance of the primary side 812 of the transformer when peak sections 826 and 828 are turned off. In block 1206, the peak amplifier section is controlled to generate back-off power and maintain efficiency. For example, Figure 8 The peak sections 826 and 828 of amplifier 820 can be controlled to be turned off, allowing amplifier 820 to operate at back-off power while maintaining efficiency in the arrangement of transformer 810 and main sections 822 and 824. Alternatively, Figure 10One or more of the first peak amplifier (P1) 1054, the second peak amplifier (P2) 1056, and the third peak amplifier (P3) 1058 can be controlled to be turned off, so that amplifiers 1052, 1054, 1056, and 1058 operate at back-off power, while the arrangement of transformer 1010 and main sections 1052a, 1052b, 1052c, and 1052d maintains efficiency.

[0115] Figure 13 This is a functional block diagram of a device 1300 for providing high-efficiency power. Device 1300 includes a means 1302 for generating maximum power. In some embodiments, the means 1302 for generating maximum power may be configured to perform method 1200. Figure 12 One or more of the functions described in operation block 1202. In one exemplary embodiment, the device 1302 for generating maximum power may include... Figure 8 The main portions 822 and 824, and the peak portions 826 and 828 of the amplifier 820, are configured, for example, to generate the maximum power Psat. Alternatively, Figure 10 The main amplifier (M) 1052, the first peak amplifier (P1) 1054, the second peak amplifier (P2) 1056, and the third peak amplifier (P3) 1058 can be controlled to generate the maximum power Psat.

[0116] The apparatus 1300 also includes means 1304 for increasing the impedance of the primary side of the transformer. In some embodiments, means 1304 for increasing the impedance of the primary side of the transformer can be configured to perform method 1200. Figure 12 One or more of the functions described in operation block 1204. In an exemplary embodiment, the means 1304 for increasing the impedance of the primary side of the transformer may include an amplifier unit divided into main portions 822 and 824 and peak portions 826 and 828 that feed symmetrical primary-side transformer segments 813, 814, 815 and 816, which can provide symmetry in increasing the impedance of the primary side 812 of the transformer when the peak portions 826 and 828 are turned off.

[0117] The apparatus 1300 also includes means 1306 for generating back-off power and sustaining efficiency. In some embodiments, means 1306 for generating back-off power and sustaining efficiency may be configured to perform method 1200. Figure 12 One or more of the functions described in operation block 1206. In an exemplary embodiment, the means 1306 for generating back-off power and sustaining efficiency may include... Figure 8The peak portions 826 and 828 of the amplifier 820, for example, are configured to be off, causing the amplifier 820 to operate at back-off power, while the arrangement of the transformer 810 and the main portions 822 and 824 maintains efficiency. Alternatively, Figure 10 One or more of the first peak amplifier (P1) 1054, the second peak amplifier (P2) 1056, and the third peak amplifier (P3) 1058 can be turned off, so that amplifiers 1052, 1054, 1056, and 1058 operate at back-off power, while the arrangement of transformer 1010 and main sections 1052a, 1052b, 1052c, and 1052d maintains efficiency.

[0118] Exemplary embodiments of the distributed active power combining power amplifier can be implemented on silicon as a WiFi power amplifier to provide high saturation power and high efficiency at backoff power. Exemplary embodiments of the distributed active power combining power amplifier can also be implemented as a Bluetooth power amplifier, or in any application where a power combining power amplifier can be implemented.

[0119] Some descriptions herein refer to specific frequencies, values, device characteristics, etc. However, other frequencies, values, and device characteristics may also be considered. For example, signal bandwidth, local oscillator (LO) frequency, parasitic signal frequency, and other characteristics may differ from those described, while maintaining the effects intended for the embodiments of this disclosure. Similarly, device technologies used to manufacture the switches and elements described herein may differ, while maintaining the effects intended for the embodiments of this disclosure.

[0120] Example embodiments are described in the following numbered clauses.

[0121] 1. A distributed active power combined amplifier, comprising: at least one main amplifier having a first main portion and a second main portion; at least one peak amplifier having a first peak portion and a second peak portion; and a transformer having a primary side and a secondary side, the primary side having at least a first primary segment, a second primary segment, a third primary segment, and a fourth primary segment; wherein, in a symmetrical configuration, the first main portion is coupled to the first primary segment and the second primary segment, the first peak portion is coupled to either the first primary segment or the second primary segment, the second main portion is coupled to the third primary segment and the fourth primary segment, and the second peak portion is coupled to either the third primary segment or the fourth primary segment.

[0122] 2. The amplifier according to Clause 1, wherein the amplifier is configured to use the at least one main amplifier to ensure that current always flows in the primary side of the transformer when the amplifier is amplifying a signal.

[0123] 3. The amplifier according to Clause 1 or 2, wherein the positive output terminal of the first main portion is coupled to the first primary segment, the negative output terminal of the first main portion is coupled to the second primary segment, the positive output terminal of the second main portion is coupled to the third primary segment, the negative output terminal of the second main portion is coupled to the fourth primary segment, the negative output terminal of the first peak portion is coupled to the first primary segment, the positive output terminal of the first peak portion is coupled to the second primary segment or a first other primary segment, the negative output terminal of the second peak portion is coupled to the third primary segment, and the positive output terminal of the second peak portion is coupled to the fourth primary segment or a second other primary segment.

[0124] 4. The amplifier according to any one of clauses 1 to 3, wherein: the first main portion and the second main portion have the same operating characteristics; and the first peak portion and the second peak portion have the same operating characteristics.

[0125] 5. The amplifier according to any one of clauses 1 to 3, wherein: the first main portion and the second main portion have different operating characteristics; and the first peak portion and the second peak portion have different operating characteristics.

[0126] 6. The amplifier according to any one of clauses 1 to 5, wherein at least one of the first main portion and the second main portion and at least one of the first peak portion and the second peak portion are coupled to at least two primary segments selected from the first primary segment, the second primary segment, the third primary segment and the fourth primary segment to form a loop.

[0127] 7. The amplifier according to any one of clauses 1 to 6, wherein the at least one peak amplifier is configured to be turned off to generate backoff power.

[0128] 8. The amplifier according to Clause 7, wherein the impedance of the primary side of the transformer increases when the at least one peak amplifier is turned off.

[0129] 9. The amplifier according to any one of clauses 1 to 2, wherein the impedance of the primary side of the transformer increases when at least one of the first peak portion and the second peak portion is turned off.

[0130] 10. The amplifier as described in Clause 6 further includes multiple loops, each loop including a main amplifier section and a peak amplifier section.

[0131] 11. The amplifier according to Clause 10, wherein each loop includes a plurality of segments coupled to at least one main amplifier section and a plurality of peak amplifier sections, the plurality of peak amplifier sections being one less than the number of segments in the plurality of segments in the loop.

[0132] 12. The amplifier according to any one of clauses 10 to 11, wherein each circuit comprises a plurality of segments equal to the number of sides of the secondary side of the transformer.

[0133] 13. The amplifier according to any one of clauses 10 to 12, wherein each circuit comprises a plurality of segments surrounding a plurality of sides of the secondary side of the transformer.

[0134] 14. The amplifier according to any one of clauses 10 to 13, wherein the plurality of loops comprises four or more loops.

[0135] 15. A method for operating an amplifier including a transformer, the method comprising: amplifying a communication signal to generate maximum power;

[0136] Increase the impedance of the primary side of the transformer under reduced power; and amplify the communication signal to generate the reduced power while maintaining power efficiency within 3dB.

[0137] 16. The method according to Clause 15, wherein: the maximum power is generated by operating the main amplifier and the peak amplifier; and the reduced power is generated by operating the main amplifier without the peak amplifier.

[0138] 17. The method according to any one of Clauses 15 to 16, wherein the power reduction is generated by operating the main amplifier without the peak amplifier, while maintaining an efficiency similar to that when both the main amplifier and the peak amplifier are operated.

[0139] 18. The method according to Clause 16, wherein the main amplifier and the peak amplifier have the same operating characteristics.

[0140] 19. The method according to Clause 16, wherein the main amplifier and the peak amplifier have different operating characteristics.

[0141] 20. The method according to Clause 17, wherein maintaining an efficiency similar to that when both the main amplifier and the peak amplifier are operated comprises: allowing current to flow continuously on the primary side of the transformer.

[0142] 21. The method according to Clause 16, wherein: the maximum power is generated by operating the main amplifier and the plurality of peak amplifiers; and the reduced power is generated by operating the main amplifier while successively shutting down the peak amplifiers among the plurality of peak amplifiers.

[0143] 22. The method according to Clause 16, wherein, in the absence of the peak amplifier, the main amplifier's losses are reduced and the main amplifier's efficiency at backoff power is improved compared to operating the amplifier to achieve the backoff power without shutting down any peak amplifier.

[0144] 23. An amplifier comprising: a transformer; means for amplifying a communication signal to generate maximum power; means for causing an increase in impedance on the primary side of the transformer at reduced power; and means for amplifying the communication signal to generate the reduced power while maintaining power efficiency within a 3 dB range.

[0145] 24. The amplifier according to Clause 23, wherein the means for amplifying the communication signal to generate the reduced power includes means for maintaining the impedance transformation ratio under back-off power.

[0146] 25. An amplifier comprising: a plurality of main amplifier sections;

[0147] Multiple peak amplifier sections; a transformer having a primary side and a secondary side, the primary side having multiple primary segments; and multiple circuits, each circuit being formed by a corresponding main amplifier section of the multiple main amplifier sections, one or more corresponding peak amplifier sections of the multiple peak amplifier sections, and two or more corresponding segments of the multiple primary segments.

[0148] 26. The amplifier according to Clause 25, wherein: the plurality of main amplifier portions include a first main portion and a second main portion, the first main portion and the second main portion having the same operating characteristics; and the plurality of peak amplifier portions include a first peak portion and a second peak portion, the first peak portion and the second peak portion having the same operating characteristics.

[0149] 27. The amplifier according to Clause 25, wherein: the plurality of main amplifier portions include a first main portion and a second main portion, the first main portion and the second main portion having different operating characteristics; and the plurality of peak amplifier portions include a first peak portion and a second peak portion, the first peak portion and the second peak portion having different operating characteristics.

[0150] 28. The amplifier according to any one of clauses 25 to 27, wherein: the plurality of loops are concentric.

[0151] 29. The amplifier according to any one of clauses 25 to 28, wherein at least one of the plurality of peak amplifier sections is configured to be turned off to generate backoff power.

[0152] 30. The amplifier according to any one of clauses 25 to 29, wherein at least two of the plurality of loops are interleaved.

[0153] The circuit architecture described in this article can be implemented on one or more ICs, analog ICs, RFICs, mixed-signal ICs, ASICs, printed circuit boards (PCBs), electronic devices, etc. The circuit architecture described in this article can also be manufactured using various IC process technologies, such as complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS), N-channel MOS (NMOS), P-channel MOS (PMOS), bipolar junction transistors (BJTs), bipolar CMOS (BiCMOS), silicon-germanium (SiGe), gallium arsenide (GaAs), heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBTs), high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs), silicon-on-insulator (SOI), etc.

[0154] The means of implementing the circuits described herein can be a standalone device or part of a larger device. The device can be (i) a standalone IC, (ii) a group of one or more ICs, which may include a memory IC for storing data and / or instructions, (iii) an RF IC, such as an RF receiver (RFR) or an RF transmitter / receiver (RTR), (iv) an ASIC, such as a mobile station modem (MSM), (v) a module that can be embedded in other devices, (vi) a receiver, a cellular phone, a wireless device, a mobile phone or mobile unit, (vii) and so on.

[0155] As used in this specification, the terms "component," "database," "module," "system," etc., are intended to refer to computer-related entities that can be hardware, firmware, a combination of hardware and software, software, or software in execution. For example, a component can be, but is not limited to, a process running on a processor, a processor, an object, an executable file, a thread of execution, a program, and / or a computer. For illustration, applications running on computing devices and computing devices can both be components. One or more components may reside within a process and / or a thread of execution, and components may be localized on a single computer and / or distributed across two or more computers. Furthermore, these components can be executed from various computer-readable media on which various data structures are stored. These components can communicate via local and / or remote processes, such as according to signals having one or more data packets (e.g., data from one component interacts with another component in a local system, a distributed system, and / or with other systems via a network such as the Internet).

[0156] Although the selected aspects have been described and detailed, it should be understood that various substitutions and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A distributed active power combined amplifier, comprising: At least one main amplifier having a first main section and a second main section; At least one peak amplifier having a first peak portion and a second peak portion; as well as A transformer having a primary side and a secondary side, the primary side having at least a first primary section, a second primary section, a third primary section and a fourth primary section; In the symmetrical architecture of the transformer circuit, the first main part is coupled to the first primary segment and the second primary segment, the first peak part is coupled to the first primary segment and the second primary segment, the second main part is coupled to the third primary segment and the fourth primary segment, and the second peak part is coupled to the third primary segment and the fourth primary segment.

2. The amplifier of claim 1, wherein the amplifier is configured to use the at least one main amplifier to ensure that current always flows in the primary side of the transformer when the amplifier is amplifying a signal.

3. The amplifier of claim 1, wherein the positive output terminal of the first main portion is coupled to the first primary segment, the negative output terminal of the first main portion is coupled to the second primary segment, the positive output terminal of the second main portion is coupled to the third primary segment, the negative output terminal of the second main portion is coupled to the fourth primary segment, the negative output terminal of the first peak portion is coupled to the first primary segment, the positive output terminal of the first peak portion is coupled to the second primary segment or a first other primary segment, the negative output terminal of the second peak portion is coupled to the third primary segment, and the positive output terminal of the second peak portion is coupled to the fourth primary segment or a second other primary segment.

4. The amplifier according to claim 1, wherein: The first main part and the second main part have the same operating characteristics; and The first peak portion and the second peak portion have the same operating characteristics.

5. The amplifier according to claim 1, wherein: The first main part and the second main part have different operating characteristics; and The first peak portion and the second peak portion have different operating characteristics.

6. The amplifier of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first main portion and the second main portion and at least one of the first peak portion and the second peak portion are coupled to at least two primary segments selected from the first primary segment, the second primary segment, the third primary segment and the fourth primary segment to form a transformer circuit.

7. The amplifier of claim 1, wherein the at least one peak amplifier is configured to be turned off to generate backoff power.

8. The amplifier of claim 7, wherein the impedance of the primary side of the transformer increases when the at least one peak amplifier is turned off.

9. The amplifier of claim 2, wherein the impedance of the primary side of the transformer increases when at least one of the first peak portion and the second peak portion is turned off.

10. The amplifier of claim 6 further comprises a plurality of transformer circuits, wherein each transformer circuit includes a main amplifier section and a peak amplifier section.

11. The amplifier of claim 10, wherein each transformer circuit includes a plurality of segments coupled to at least one main amplifier section and a plurality of peak amplifier sections, the number of peak amplifier sections being one less than the number of segments in the plurality of segments of the transformer circuit.

12. The amplifier of claim 10, wherein each transformer circuit comprises a plurality of segments equal in number to the number of sides on the secondary side of the transformer.

13. The amplifier of claim 10, wherein each transformer circuit comprises a plurality of segments surrounding a plurality of sides of the secondary side of the transformer.

14. The amplifier of claim 10, wherein the plurality of transformer circuits comprises four or more transformer circuits.

15. A method for operating an amplifier including a transformer, the method comprising: A communication signal is amplified to generate maximum power using at least one main amplifier having a first main portion and a second main portion, and at least one peak amplifier having a first peak portion and a second peak portion, wherein the transformer has a primary side and a secondary side, the primary side having at least a first primary segment, a second primary segment, a third primary segment and a fourth primary segment, and wherein, in a symmetrical configuration of the transformer circuit, the first main portion is coupled to the first primary segment and the second primary segment, the first peak portion is coupled to the first primary segment and the second primary segment, the second main portion is coupled to the third primary segment and the fourth primary segment, and the second peak portion is coupled to the third primary segment and the fourth primary segment; Increase the impedance on the primary side of the transformer at reduced power; and The communication signal is amplified to generate the reduced power while maintaining power efficiency within 3dB.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein: The maximum power is generated by operating the main amplifier in the at least one main amplifier and the peak amplifier in the at least one peak amplifier; and The reduced power is generated by operating the main amplifier without the peak amplifier.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the reduced power is generated by operating the main amplifier without the peak amplifier while maintaining an efficiency similar to that when both the main amplifier and the peak amplifier are operated.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein: The main amplifier and the peak amplifier have the same operating characteristics.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein: The main amplifier and the peak amplifier have different operating characteristics.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein maintaining an efficiency similar to that when both the main amplifier and the peak amplifier are operated comprises: This allows the current to flow continuously on the primary side of the transformer.

21. The method of claim 16, wherein: The maximum power is generated by operating the main amplifier and multiple peak amplifiers; and The reduced power is generated by operating the main amplifier while successively shutting down the peak amplifiers among the plurality of peak amplifiers.

22. The method of claim 16, wherein, compared to operating the amplifier to achieve back-off power without shutting down any peak amplifiers, the main amplifier's losses are reduced and the main amplifier's efficiency at the back-off power is improved without the peak amplifiers.

23. An amplifier, comprising: A transformer having a primary side and a secondary side, the primary side having at least a first primary section, a second primary section, a third primary section and a fourth primary section; An apparatus for amplifying a communication signal to generate maximum power using at least one main amplifier having a first main portion and a second main portion and at least one peak amplifier having a first peak portion and a second peak portion, wherein, in a symmetrical architecture of a transformer circuit, the first main portion is coupled to the first primary segment and the second primary segment, the first peak portion is coupled to the first primary segment and the second primary segment, the second main portion is coupled to the third primary segment and the fourth primary segment, and the second peak portion is coupled to the third primary segment and the fourth primary segment; A device for causing an increase in impedance on the primary side of the transformer at reduced power; as well as A means for amplifying the communication signal to generate the reduced power while maintaining power efficiency within the range of 3dB.

24. The amplifier of claim 23, wherein the means for amplifying the communication signal to generate the reduced power includes means for maintaining the impedance transformation ratio at the back-off power.

25. An amplifier, comprising: Multiple main amplifier sections; Multiple peak amplifier sections; A transformer having a primary side and a secondary side, wherein the primary side has multiple primary sections; as well as Multiple transformer circuits, each transformer circuit being formed by a corresponding main amplifier section among the multiple main amplifier sections, one or more corresponding peak amplifier sections among the multiple peak amplifier sections, and two or more corresponding sections among the multiple primary sections.

26. The amplifier according to claim 25, wherein: The plurality of main amplifier sections include a first main section and a second main section, and the first main section and the second main section have the same operating characteristics; and The plurality of peak amplifier sections include a first peak section and a second peak section, the first peak section and the second peak section having the same operating characteristics.

27. The amplifier according to claim 25, wherein: The plurality of main amplifier sections include a first main section and a second main section, the first main section and the second main section having different operating characteristics; and The plurality of peak amplifier sections include a first peak section and a second peak section, the first peak section and the second peak section having different operating characteristics.

28. The amplifier according to claim 25, wherein: The multiple transformer circuits are concentric.

29. The amplifier of claim 25, wherein at least one of the plurality of peak amplifier sections is configured to be turned off to generate backoff power.

30. The amplifier of claim 25, wherein at least two of the plurality of transformer circuits are crossed.

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