A power adjustment circuit and method

Abstract

The application provides a power adjusting circuit and method, which are applied to the field of communication technology, and the circuit comprises a first coupler, a second coupler, a first power detection module, a second power detection module and a power adjusting module; the first coupler is connected with a first PA of a first link, an output end of the first link, the first power detection module and the ground; the first power detection module is connected with the power adjusting module, the first PA is connected with the power adjusting module, the first PA is connected with the power adjusting module, and the power adjusting module is connected with the first link. In the power detection circuit of the embodiment, the output power of the radio frequency signal on each link in the MIMO system is detected in real time through the power detection module; in the case that the output power of the radio frequency signal is less than the saturated output power of the PA, the bias voltage of the PA is adjusted through the power adjusting module, so as to reduce the saturated output power of the PA, thereby reducing the power consumption of the PA.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a power adjustment circuit and method. Background Technology

[0002] In the field of communication technology, the power amplifier (PA), as the final stage of a transmitter, amplifies the signal to the required power value before sending it to the antenna for transmission. However, in indoor coverage cabling for mobile communications, the RF signal needs to pass through multiple passive components between the device generating the RF signal and the antenna, resulting in the RF signal power reaching the antenna being lower than the designed saturation power. Different PA saturation powers correspond to different PA power consumption, and different PA saturation powers may output the same actual power; therefore, some PAs with different actual power outputs may have higher power consumption. Summary of the Invention

[0003] This application provides a power adjustment circuit and method to solve the problem of high power consumption of the power amplifier (PA) in the prior art.

[0004] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, this application is implemented as follows:

[0005] In a first aspect, embodiments of this application provide a power adjustment circuit, the power adjustment circuit comprising:

[0006] The system comprises a first coupler, a second coupler, a first power detection module, a second power detection module, and a power adjustment module;

[0007] The first end of the first coupler is connected to the first end of the first PA of the first link in the multiple input multiple output MIMO system, the second end of the first coupler is connected to the output end of the first link, the third end of the first coupler is connected to the first end of the first power detection module, and the fourth end of the first coupler is connected to ground.

[0008] The second end of the first power detection module is connected to the first end of the power adjustment module, the second end of the first PA is connected to the second end of the power adjustment module, the third end of the first PA is connected to the third end of the power adjustment module, and the fourth end of the power adjustment module is connected to the input end of the first link.

[0009] The first end of the second coupler is connected to the first end of the second PA of the second link in the MIMO system, the second end of the second coupler is connected to the output end of the second link, the third end of the second coupler is connected to the first end of the second power detection module, and the fourth end of the second coupler is connected to ground.

[0010] The second terminal of the second power detection module is connected to the fifth terminal of the power adjustment module, the second terminal of the second PA is connected to the sixth terminal of the power adjustment module, the third terminal of the second PA is connected to the seventh terminal of the power adjustment module, and the eighth terminal of the power adjustment module is connected to the input terminal of the second link.

[0011] Optionally, the power detection module includes a microcontroller unit (MCU), a first attenuator, and a second attenuator;

[0012] The second terminal of the first power detection module is connected to the first terminal of the MCU, the second terminal of the first PA is connected to the second terminal of the MCU, the third terminal of the MCU is connected to the first terminal of the first attenuator, the third terminal of the first PA is connected to the second terminal of the first attenuator, and the third terminal of the first attenuator is connected to the input terminal of the first link.

[0013] The second terminal of the second power detection module is connected to the fourth terminal of the MCU, the second terminal of the second PA is connected to the fifth terminal of the MCU, the sixth terminal of the MCU is connected to the first terminal of the second attenuator, the third terminal of the second PA is connected to the second terminal of the second attenuator, and the third terminal of the second attenuator is connected to the input terminal of the second link.

[0014] Secondly, embodiments of this application also provide a power adjustment method, which is applied to the power adjustment circuit described above, and the power adjustment method includes:

[0015] The output power of the first radio frequency signal of the first link and the output power of the second radio frequency signal of the second link are detected, wherein the first link and the second link are links in a MIMO system;

[0016] When the output power of the first radio frequency signal and the output power of the second radio frequency signal are the same, the power adjustment module determines whether the output power of the target radio frequency signal is less than the saturated output power of the target power amplifier PA; wherein, the target radio frequency signal includes at least one of the first radio frequency signal and the second radio frequency signal, and the target PA includes at least one of the first PA and the second PA, wherein the first PA is the PA corresponding to the first link, and the second PA is the PA corresponding to the second link;

[0017] When the output power of the target radio frequency signal is less than the saturated output power of the target PA, the bias voltage of the target PA is adjusted by the power adjustment module to reduce the saturated output power of the target PA while keeping the output power of the target radio frequency signal constant.

[0018] Optionally, detecting the output power of the first radio frequency signal of the first link and the output power of the second radio frequency signal of the second link includes:

[0019] The first radio frequency signal of the first link is received through the first coupler, and the second radio frequency signal of the second link is received through the second coupler;

[0020] The first radio frequency signal is processed into a first low-frequency signal by the first power detection module, and the second radio frequency signal is processed into a second low-frequency signal by the second power detection module.

[0021] The power adjustment module calculates the output power of the first radio frequency signal based on the voltage of the first low-frequency signal, and the power adjustment module calculates the output power of the second radio frequency signal based on the voltage of the second low-frequency signal.

[0022] Optionally, the method further includes:

[0023] When the output power of the first radio frequency signal is greater than the output power of the second radio frequency signal, the bias voltage of the first PA and the first attenuator are adjusted by the MCU so that the output power of the first radio frequency signal is equal to the output power of the second radio frequency signal. The first attenuator is the attenuator corresponding to the first link.

[0024] The power adjustment circuit of this application embodiment includes a first coupler, a second coupler, a first power detection module, a second power detection module, and a power adjustment module. A first terminal of the first coupler is connected to a first terminal of a first power amplifier (PA) of a first link in a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) system; a second terminal of the first coupler is connected to the output terminal of the first link; a third terminal of the first coupler is connected to a first terminal of the first power detection module; and a fourth terminal of the first coupler is connected to ground. A second terminal of the first power detection module is connected to a first terminal of the power adjustment module; a second terminal of the first PA is connected to a second terminal of the power adjustment module; and a third terminal of the first PA is connected to a third terminal of the power adjustment module. The fourth terminal of the power adjustment module is connected to the input terminal of the first link; the first terminal of the second coupler is connected to the first terminal of the second PA of the second link in the MIMO system; the second terminal of the second coupler is connected to the output terminal of the second link; the third terminal of the second coupler is connected to the first terminal of the second power detection module; and the fourth terminal of the second coupler is connected to ground; the second terminal of the second power detection module is connected to the fifth terminal of the power adjustment module; the second terminal of the second PA is connected to the sixth terminal of the power adjustment module; the third terminal of the second PA is connected to the seventh terminal of the power adjustment module; and the eighth terminal of the power adjustment module is connected to the input terminal of the second link.

[0025] The power adjustment circuit in this embodiment detects the output power of the radio frequency signal on each link in the MIMO system in real time through the power detection module. When the output power of the radio frequency signal is less than the saturation output power of the PA, the bias voltage of the PA is adjusted by the power adjustment module to reduce the saturation output power of the PA, thereby reducing the power consumption of the PA. Attached Figure Description

[0026] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments of this application will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0027] Figure 1 This is one of the schematic diagrams of the power adjustment circuit provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0028] Figure 2 This is a second schematic diagram of the power adjustment circuit provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0029] Figure 3 This is a flowchart of the power adjustment method provided in the embodiments of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0030] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this application, not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0031] This application provides a power detection circuit, see [link to relevant documentation] Figure 1 and Figure 2 , Figure 1 and Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of a power detection circuit provided in an embodiment of this application. The power adjustment circuit includes:

[0032] The system comprises a first coupler, a second coupler, a first power detection module, a second power detection module, and a power adjustment module;

[0033] The first end of the first coupler is connected to the first end of the first PA of the first link in the multiple input multiple output MIMO system, the second end of the first coupler is connected to the output end of the first link, the third end of the first coupler is connected to the first end of the first power detection module, and the fourth end of the first coupler is connected to ground.

[0034] The second end of the first power detection module is connected to the first end of the power adjustment module, the second end of the first PA is connected to the second end of the power adjustment module, the third end of the first PA is connected to the third end of the power adjustment module, and the fourth end of the power adjustment module is connected to the input end of the first link.

[0035] The first end of the second coupler is connected to the first end of the second PA of the second link in the MIMO system, the second end of the second coupler is connected to the output end of the second link, the third end of the second coupler is connected to the first end of the second power detection module, and the fourth end of the second coupler is connected to ground.

[0036] The second terminal of the second power detection module is connected to the fifth terminal of the power adjustment module, the second terminal of the second PA is connected to the sixth terminal of the power adjustment module, the third terminal of the second PA is connected to the seventh terminal of the power adjustment module, and the eighth terminal of the power adjustment module is connected to the input terminal of the second link.

[0037] In the power detection circuit of this application embodiment, see specifically... Figure 1 , Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the power detection circuit on the first link of a Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) system. The power detection circuit on the second link of the MIMO system can be... Figure 1 For reference only. Figure 2 This illustrates the connection between the power detection circuits on the first link and the second link in a MIMO system; that is, the two detection circuits can be connected via a microcontroller unit (MCU) in the power detection module. Specifically,

[0038] In the detection circuit of the first link of a MIMO system, see... Figure 1 The first end of the first coupler is connected to the first end of the first PA of the first link, the second end of the first coupler is connected to the output end of the first link, the third end of the first coupler is connected to the first end of the first power detection module, and the fourth end of the first coupler is connected to ground.

[0039] The second terminal of the first power detection module is connected to the first terminal of the power adjustment module, the second terminal of the first PA is connected to the second terminal of the power adjustment module, the third terminal of the first PA is connected to the third terminal of the power adjustment module, and the fourth terminal of the power adjustment module is connected to the input terminal of the first link. The aforementioned power adjustment module may include... Figure 1 The first attenuator and MCU in the process.

[0040] In the detection circuit of the second link of the MIMO system, with Figure 1 For reference, the first end of the second coupler is connected to the first end of the second PA of the second link, the second end of the second coupler is connected to the output end of the second link, the third end of the second coupler is connected to the first end of the second power detection module, and the fourth end of the second coupler is connected to ground.

[0041] The second terminal of the second power detection module is connected to the first terminal of the power adjustment module, the second terminal of the second PA is connected to the second terminal of the power adjustment module, the third terminal of the second PA is connected to the third terminal of the power adjustment module, and the fourth terminal of the power adjustment module is connected to the input terminal of the second link. The aforementioned power adjustment module may include the second attenuator and MCU in the detection circuit of the second link.

[0042] In the power adjustment circuit on the first link, the first radio frequency signal on the first link is first acquired through the first coupler. Then, the first coupler sends the first radio frequency signal to the first power detection module. After the first power detection module processes the first radio frequency signal into a first low-frequency signal, it sends the first low-frequency signal to the power adjustment unit. The output power of the first radio frequency signal is calculated by the power adjustment module.

[0043] In the power adjustment circuit on the second link, the second radio frequency signal on the second link is first acquired through the second coupler. Then, the second coupler sends the second radio frequency signal to the second power detection module. After the second power detection module processes the second radio frequency signal into a second low-frequency signal, it sends the second low-frequency signal to the power adjustment module. The output power of the first radio frequency signal is calculated by the power adjustment module.

[0044] The aforementioned first power detection module and second power detection module can be power detection chips.

[0045] In one embodiment, if the power adjustment module detects that the output power of the first radio frequency signal and the output power of the second radio frequency signal are the same, but the output power of the first radio frequency signal is less than the saturated output power of the first PA, the power adjustment module can reduce the saturated output power of the first PA by reducing the bias voltage of the first PA while keeping the output power of the first radio frequency signal constant, thereby reducing the power consumption of the first PA; and / or, if the output power of the second radio frequency signal is less than the saturated output power of the second PA, the power adjustment module can reduce the saturated output power of the second PA by reducing the bias voltage of the second PA while keeping the output power of the second radio frequency signal constant, thereby reducing the power consumption of the second PA.

[0046] In another implementation, if the power adjustment module detects that the output power of the first radio frequency signal and the output power of the second radio frequency signal are different, specifically, if the output power of the first radio frequency signal is greater than the output power of the second radio frequency signal, the bias voltage of the first PA can be adjusted by the power adjustment module to make the output power of the first radio frequency signal equal to the output power of the second radio frequency signal, thereby making the first link and the second link in a balanced state.

[0047] Table 1 shows the different bias voltages corresponding to the saturated output power of the PA while meeting the 45dBc requirement:

[0048] Table 1

[0049] In the power detection circuit of this application embodiment, MIMO is detected in real time by the power detection module.

[0050]

[0051] In the system, when the output power of the radio frequency signal on each link is less than the saturated output power of the PA, the bias voltage of the PA is adjusted by the power adjustment module to reduce the saturated output power of the PA, thereby reducing the power consumption of the PA.

[0052] Furthermore, even when the output power of the RF signal on each link is unbalanced, the output power of the RF signal can be adjusted in a timely manner through the power adjustment module to maintain a balanced output power of the RF signal on the two links in the MIMO system.

[0053] Optionally, the power detection module includes a microcontroller unit (MCU), a first attenuator, and a second attenuator;

[0054] The second terminal of the first power detection module is connected to the first terminal of the MCU, the second terminal of the first PA is connected to the second terminal of the MCU, the third terminal of the MCU is connected to the first terminal of the first attenuator, the third terminal of the first PA is connected to the second terminal of the first attenuator, and the third terminal of the first attenuator is connected to the input terminal of the first link.

[0055] The second terminal of the second power detection module is connected to the fourth terminal of the MCU, the second terminal of the second PA is connected to the fifth terminal of the MCU, the sixth terminal of the MCU is connected to the first terminal of the second attenuator, the third terminal of the second PA is connected to the second terminal of the second attenuator, and the third terminal of the second attenuator is connected to the input terminal of the second link.

[0056] In the power detection circuit of this application embodiment, specifically, it includes a microcontroller unit (MCU), a first attenuator, and a second attenuator. It should be noted that the first attenuator is located in the power detection circuit of the first link, and the second attenuator is located in the power detection circuit of the second link. The power detection circuit of the first link and the power detection circuit of the second link share a MCU.

[0057] Specifically, in the power detection circuit of the first link, the second end of the first power detection module is connected to the first end of the MCU, the second end of the first PA is connected to the second end of the MCU, the third end of the MCU is connected to the first end of the first attenuator, the third end of the first PA is connected to the second end of the first attenuator, and the third end of the first attenuator is connected to the input end of the first link.

[0058] In the power detection circuit of the second link, the second terminal of the second power detection module is connected to the fourth terminal of the MCU, the second terminal of the second PA is connected to the fifth terminal of the MCU, the sixth terminal of the MCU is connected to the first terminal of the second attenuator, the third terminal of the second PA is connected to the second terminal of the second attenuator, and the third terminal of the second attenuator is connected to the input terminal of the second link.

[0059] In one implementation, if the power adjustment module detects that the output power of the first radio frequency signal and the output power of the second radio frequency signal are different, specifically, if the output power of the first radio frequency signal is greater than the output power of the second radio frequency signal, the bias voltage of the first PA can be adjusted by the MCU to reduce the output power of the first radio frequency signal. However, since adjusting the bias voltage of the first PA cannot make the output power of the first radio frequency signal exactly equal to the output power of the second radio frequency signal, it is also necessary to adjust the first attenuator to make the output power of the first radio frequency signal equal to the output power of the second radio frequency signal, thereby helping the first link and the second link to be in a balanced state.

[0060] This application also provides a power adjustment method, which is applied to the power adjustment circuit described above. See [link to relevant documentation]. Figure 3 , Figure 3 A flowchart of the power adjustment method provided in this application embodiment:

[0061] Step 301: Detect the output power of the first radio frequency signal of the first link and detect the output power of the second radio frequency signal of the second link, wherein the first link and the second link are both links in a MIMO system;

[0062] Step 302: When the output power of the first radio frequency signal and the output power of the second radio frequency signal are the same, the power adjustment module determines whether the output power of the target radio frequency signal is less than the saturated output power of the target power amplifier PA; wherein, the target radio frequency signal includes at least one of the first radio frequency signal and the second radio frequency signal, and the target PA includes at least one of the first PA and the second PA, wherein the first PA is the PA corresponding to the first link, and the second PA is the PA corresponding to the second link;

[0063] Step 302: When the output power of the target radio frequency signal is less than the saturated output power of the target PA, the bias voltage of the target PA is adjusted by the power adjustment module to reduce the saturated output power of the target PA while keeping the output power of the target radio frequency signal unchanged.

[0064] Optionally, detecting the output power of the first radio frequency signal of the first link and the output power of the second radio frequency signal of the second link includes:

[0065] The first radio frequency signal of the first link is received through the first coupler, and the second radio frequency signal of the second link is received through the second coupler;

[0066] The first radio frequency signal is processed into a first low-frequency signal by the first power detection module, and the second radio frequency signal is processed into a second low-frequency signal by the second power detection module.

[0067] The power adjustment module calculates the output power of the first radio frequency signal based on the voltage of the first low-frequency signal, and the power adjustment module calculates the output power of the second radio frequency signal based on the voltage of the second low-frequency signal.

[0068] Optionally, the method further includes:

[0069] When the output power of the first radio frequency signal is greater than the output power of the second radio frequency signal, the bias voltage of the first PA and the first attenuator are adjusted by the MCU so that the output power of the first radio frequency signal is equal to the output power of the second radio frequency signal. The first attenuator is the attenuator corresponding to the first link.

[0070] The specific implementation process of the power adjustment method in this application embodiment can be referred to the foregoing explanation, and will not be repeated here.

[0071] It should be noted that, in this document, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. Unless otherwise specified, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes that element.

[0072] Through the above description of the embodiments, those skilled in the art can clearly understand that the methods of the above embodiments can be implemented by means of software plus necessary general-purpose hardware platforms. Of course, they can also be implemented by hardware, but in many cases the former is a better implementation method. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium (such as ROM / RAM, magnetic disk, optical disk) and includes several instructions to cause a terminal (which may be a mobile phone, computer, server, air conditioner, or network device, etc.) to execute the methods described in the various embodiments of this application.

[0073] The embodiments of this application have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, this application is not limited to the specific embodiments described above. The specific embodiments described above are merely illustrative and not restrictive. Those skilled in the art can make many other forms under the guidance of this application without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims, and all of these forms are within the protection scope of this application.

Claims

1. A power adjustment circuit, characterized in that, The power adjustment circuit includes a first coupler, a second coupler, a first power detection module, a second power detection module, and a power adjustment module; The first end of the first coupler is connected to the first end of the first PA of the first link in the multiple input multiple output MIMO system, the second end of the first coupler is connected to the output end of the first link, the third end of the first coupler is connected to the first end of the first power detection module, and the fourth end of the first coupler is connected to ground. The second end of the first power detection module is connected to the first end of the power adjustment module, the second end of the first PA is connected to the second end of the power adjustment module, the third end of the first PA is connected to the third end of the power adjustment module, and the fourth end of the power adjustment module is connected to the input end of the first link. The first end of the second coupler is connected to the first end of the second PA of the second link in the MIMO system, the second end of the second coupler is connected to the output end of the second link, the third end of the second coupler is connected to the first end of the second power detection module, and the fourth end of the second coupler is connected to ground. The second terminal of the second power detection module is connected to the fifth terminal of the power adjustment module, the second terminal of the second PA is connected to the sixth terminal of the power adjustment module, the third terminal of the second PA is connected to the seventh terminal of the power adjustment module, and the eighth terminal of the power adjustment module is connected to the input terminal of the second link.

2. The power adjustment circuit according to claim 1, characterized in that, The power adjustment module includes a microcontroller unit (MCU), a first attenuator, and a second attenuator. The second terminal of the first power detection module is connected to the first terminal of the MCU, the second terminal of the first PA is connected to the second terminal of the MCU, the third terminal of the MCU is connected to the first terminal of the first attenuator, the third terminal of the first PA is connected to the second terminal of the first attenuator, and the third terminal of the first attenuator is connected to the input terminal of the first link. The second terminal of the second power detection module is connected to the fourth terminal of the MCU, the second terminal of the second PA is connected to the fifth terminal of the MCU, the sixth terminal of the MCU is connected to the first terminal of the second attenuator, the third terminal of the second PA is connected to the second terminal of the second attenuator, and the third terminal of the second attenuator is connected to the input terminal of the second link.

3. A power adjustment method, characterized in that, The power adjustment method is applied to the power adjustment circuit as described in claim 1 or 2, and the method includes: The output power of the first radio frequency signal of the first link and the output power of the second radio frequency signal of the second link are detected, wherein the first link and the second link are links in a MIMO system; When the output power of the first RF signal and the output power of the second RF signal are the same, the power adjustment module determines whether the output power of the target RF signal is less than the saturated output power of the target power amplifier PA; wherein, the target RF signal includes at least one of the first RF signal and the second RF signal, and the target PA includes at least one of the first PA and the second PA, wherein the first PA is the PA corresponding to the first link, and the second PA is the PA corresponding to the second link; When the output power of the target radio frequency signal is less than the saturated output power of the target PA, the bias voltage of the target PA is adjusted by the power adjustment module to reduce the saturated output power of the target PA while keeping the output power of the target radio frequency signal constant.

4. The power adjustment method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The detection of the output power of the first radio frequency signal of the first link and the output power of the second radio frequency signal of the second link includes: The first radio frequency signal of the first link is received through the first coupler, and the second radio frequency signal of the second link is received through the second coupler; The first radio frequency signal is processed into a first low-frequency signal by the first power detection module, and the second radio frequency signal is processed into a second low-frequency signal by the second power detection module. The power adjustment module calculates the output power of the first radio frequency signal based on the voltage of the first low-frequency signal, and calculates the output power of the second radio frequency signal based on the voltage of the second low-frequency signal.

5. The power adjustment method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The method further includes: When the output power of the first radio frequency signal is greater than the output power of the second radio frequency signal, the bias voltage of the first PA and the first attenuator are adjusted by the MCU so that the output power of the first radio frequency signal is equal to the output power of the second radio frequency signal. The first attenuator is the attenuator corresponding to the first link.

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