An airborne WiFi system power amplifier component and design method thereof

Abstract

This invention discloses an airborne Wi-Fi system power amplifier assembly and design method. This design relates to the field of airborne Wi-Fi system power amplifiers. The assembly comprises a dual-band power amplifier module, which provides amplification for both the transmit and receive channels. The module includes a first path and a second path. The first path includes a radio frequency port TRX1, a radio frequency transmit / receive switch K‑0, a variable gain amplifier VGA‑1, a driver amplifier D1, a final amplifier A‑1, a unidirectional transmission circulator H1, a logic switch K‑2, a final amplifier A‑3, and an antenna port ANT1. This invention addresses the issues of low-quality and high power consumption associated with Wi-Fi signal coverage in specific environments within an airborne cabin.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of airborne WiFi system power amplifiers, and more specifically, to an airborne WiFi system power amplifier component and a design method thereof. Background Art

[0002] Currently, commercial WiFi4 / 5 / 6 baseband chips all have built-in 2.4GHz and 5.8GHz low-power amplifiers, receiving low-noise amplifiers, and 2.4GHz / 5.8GHz transmit and receive switches.

[0003] Typically, these WiFi baseband chips are primarily used in homes and offices, but they present two challenges: First, the RF signal coverage range is limited, with maximum transmit power at 2.4GHz not exceeding 16dBm and at 5.8GHz not exceeding 13dBm. For wider coverage, using the low-power amplifier built into the WiFi baseband chip can lead to issues such as inability to achieve full coverage and poor signal quality in more distant areas. Furthermore, some customized WiFi chips achieve wide-area coverage by increasing the internal amplifier to boost transmit power, but this significantly increases overall device power consumption. Therefore, achieving high-quality, low-power WiFi signal coverage in specific areas within an aircraft cabin is an urgent technical challenge. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of the present invention is to overcome the shortcomings of the existing technology and provide an airborne WiFi system power amplifier component and a design method thereof, which solves the problems of low quality and high power consumption faced by WiFi signal coverage in specific environments within the aircraft cabin.

[0005] The object of the present invention is achieved through the following solutions:

[0006] An airborne WiFi system power amplifier assembly includes a dual-band power amplifier module, which provides amplification functions for a transmit channel and a receive channel. The dual-band power amplifier module includes a first path and a second path. The first path includes a radio frequency port TRX1, a radio frequency transceiver switch K-0, a variable gain amplifier VGA-1, a driver amplifier D1, a final amplifier A-1, a unidirectional transmission circulator H1, a radio frequency transceiver switch K-2, a final amplifier A-3, and an antenna port ANT1.

[0007] The second path includes a radio frequency port TRX2, a radio frequency transceiver switch K-1, a variable gain amplifier VGA-2, a driver amplifier D2, a final amplifier A-2, a unidirectional transmission circulator H2, a radio frequency transceiver switch K-3, a final amplifier A-4, and an antenna port ANT2;

[0008] In the first path, the controller MCU sends the signal to be transmitted to the RF port TRX1 in the transmitting branch. After the signal to be transmitted enters the RF transceiver switching switch K-0 that controls transmission and reception, it enters the variable gain amplifier VGA1 for signal amplification or attenuation. The signal then enters the driver amplifier D1, which amplifies the signal to be transmitted to reach the input power required by the final power amplifier. After that, the signal enters the final amplifier A-1 and is output to the antenna port ANT1 through the unidirectional transmission circulator H1. The signal received by ANT1 is received by the transmission circulator H1 and passes through the RF transceiver switching switch K-2. The received signal then enters the final amplifier A-3, attenuates its signal power, and enters the RF transceiver switching switch K-0.

[0009] In the second path, after the controller MCU sends the signal to be transmitted in the transmitting branch to the RF port TRX2, the signal to be transmitted enters the RF transceiver switching switch K-1 that controls transmission and reception, and then enters the variable gain amplifier VGA2 for signal amplification or attenuation, and then enters the driver amplifier D2 to amplify the signal to be transmitted so that it reaches the input power required by the final power amplifier, and then enters the final amplifier A-2, and is output to the antenna port ANT2 through the unidirectional transmission circulator H2; the signal received by ANT2 is received by the transmission circulator H2, passes through the RF transceiver switching switch K-3, and then enters the final amplifier A-4, where its signal power is attenuated and then enters the RF transceiver switching switch K-1.

[0010] Furthermore, the first path is a 2.4 GHz path.

[0011] Furthermore, the second path is a 5.8 GHz path.

[0012] Furthermore, the dual-band power amplifier module is implemented based on gallium nitride (GaN) material.

[0013] Furthermore, a signal suppression module is included to suppress the transmission of spurious signals and the reception of out-of-band signals.

[0014] Furthermore, a detection module is included for providing coupling detection of output power.

[0015] Furthermore, the output power coupling detection includes forward power coupling detection and reverse power coupling detection, and the detection results are used to implement power detection, power adjustment and temperature detection functions.

[0016] A method for designing an airborne WiFi system power amplifier component is based on the airborne WiFi system power amplifier component as described in any one of the above items, and comprises the steps of:

[0017] Design a sleep standby mechanism: In the idle state between business interruptions or between transmission and reception, shut down the RF link-related devices to optimize the sleep wake-up mechanism and reduce the power consumption of RF front-end devices without affecting business.

[0018] A method for designing an airborne WiFi system power amplifier component is based on the airborne WiFi system power amplifier component as described in any one of the above items, and comprises the steps of:

[0019] Design a power consumption optimization mechanism for different transmit and receive time slots: shut down the transmission path related devices in the receive state, and shut down the reception path related devices in the transmit mode to achieve the best power consumption in different transmit and receive states.

[0020] A method for designing an airborne WiFi system power amplifier component is based on the airborne WiFi system power amplifier component described in any one of the above items, and includes the steps of: designing high and low power modes and a power control mechanism;

[0021] According to different working application scenarios, the transmission power is dynamically controlled and the high and low power modes are switched inside the power amplifier components. The transmission power gain control function adjusts the transmission output power through the VGA chip; in the low load state, the power output is controlled to be reduced; in the low power output state, if the final power tube is still working, it is switched to low power mode in the low power state, and the final power tube inside the power amplifier is bypassed and powered off, and the power output is provided only by the driver stage.

[0022] The beneficial effects of the present invention include:

[0023] The present invention addresses the problem that commercial WiFi baseband chips cannot achieve full coverage and the signal quality in remote coverage areas is poor. In the solution of the present invention, the low-power amplifier built into the WiFi baseband chip is turned off and an external power amplifier component is used to amplify the WiFi radio frequency signal transmission power, thereby ensuring signal coverage over a larger range.

[0024] The present invention addresses the problem of a significant increase in overall machine power consumption after the transmission power is enhanced. In the solution of the present invention, power consumption control is achieved by reducing the power consumption of power amplifier components through measures such as improving power amplifier efficiency, optimizing the sleep and standby mechanism of the entire machine, optimizing power consumption according to different transmission and reception time slots, using high and low power modes, and controlling transmission power.

[0025] In an embodiment of the present invention, the power amplifier assembly of an airborne WiFi system designed based on the present invention achieves the following performance: Taking a 4W amplifier as an example, the total amplifier link gain is 30dB. The front-stage WiFi RF signal transmitter has a maximum output power capability of 14dBm. This signal enters the driver amplifier stage after passing through a digitally controlled VGA with a variable gain control range of 31.5dB in 0.5dB steps. The driver amplifier stage includes a first-stage amplifier with a total gain of 15dB and a maximum output power of 25dBm. The final stage, comprising a first-stage amplifier and circulator, achieves a total gain of 16dB and an output power of 37dBm. Taking into account the insertion loss of the amplifier output combiner, the antenna output is 36dBm (peak 48.5dBm). BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying any creative work.

[0027] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of an airborne application scenario;

[0028] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the WiFi radio frequency signal system architecture for airborne scenarios;

[0029] Figure 3 This is a block diagram of a power amplifier component implementation according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] All features disclosed in all embodiments in this specification, or steps in all methods or processes implicitly disclosed, except for mutually exclusive features and / or steps, can be combined and / or expanded or replaced in any manner.

[0031] In the application scenario of the present invention, the WiFi signal coverage of a specific area in the aircraft cabin is Figure 1 The rectangular area shown is used as an example for explanation (but not limited to this), wherein the length of the rectangular area is about 13 meters, the width is about 4 meters, and the height is about 5 meters. Two WiFi passive antennas are respectively hung on the left and right walls of the rectangular area. The antenna wall-hanging height is about 2 meters from the ground, and the bottom filling part is the coverage area required by the WiFi signal.

[0032] In terms of system architecture, considering factors such as power supply and aircraft safety, WiFi radio frequency signal transmission equipment is usually located in the aircraft electronic compartment, and the WiFi antenna is usually a passive antenna. The above two are connected by a radio frequency cable, such as Figure 2As shown. In the solution provided by the present invention, a transmission power amplification technical solution based on an external power amplifier component is provided. Specifically, the power amplifier component in the solution of the present invention includes a 2.4GHz and 5.8GHz dual-frequency power amplifier module, which provides amplification of the transmission channel and the receiving channel. A signal suppression module is also provided to suppress the transmission of spurious signals and the reception of out-of-band signals; and a detection module is provided to provide output power coupling detection, including forward power coupling detection and reverse power coupling detection, to achieve functions such as power detection, power adjustment and temperature detection. The implementation block diagram of the overall power amplifier component is shown in FIG. Figure 3 shown.

[0033] The power amplifier component primarily implements two-channel power amplification functions in the 2.4GHz and 5.8GHz frequency bands. The power amplifier component in this invention includes a transmit / receive switch, a digitally controlled VGA, a driver amplifier, a final stage, and a circulator. The following describes the power amplification process for the transmission process in this invention's solution, using a 4W power amplifier as an example:

[0034] (a) The control part MCU sends the signal to be transmitted to the RF TRX port in the transmission branch;

[0035] (b) The signal to be transmitted enters the RF transceiver switch (K-0, K-1) that controls transmission and reception;

[0036] (c) The signal to be transmitted enters a variable gain amplifier (VGA) for signal amplification or attenuation;

[0037] (d) Entering the driver amplifier (D1, D2), the signal to be transmitted is amplified to reach the input power required by the final power amplifier;

[0038] (e) Entering the final amplifier (A-1, A-2);

[0039] (f) Output to the antenna port (ANT1 / ANT2) through the unidirectional transmission circulator (H1, H2).

[0040] (g) When external signals are received from ANT1 and ANT2, they pass through RF transceiver switches K-3 and K-2, then enter final amplifiers A-3 and A-4, respectively, where they are attenuated and then enter RF transceiver switches K-0 and K-1.

[0041] In the concept of the present invention, the present invention provides a high-efficiency, low-power external power amplifier component design technology solution. Among them, in the high-efficiency power amplifier design technology solution, it can largely meet the requirements of high energy consumption, small size, and large bandwidth. Gallium nitride (GaN) belongs to the third generation of high-bandgap semiconductor materials. Compared with the first generation of Si materials and the second generation of GaAs materials, it has outstanding advantages in characteristics. Due to its large bandgap and high thermal conductivity, GaN devices can operate at high temperatures above 200 degrees Celsius, can withstand higher energy densities, and have higher reliability; the large bandgap and insulation breakdown electric field reduce the on-resistance of the device, which is beneficial to improving the overall energy efficiency of the device; the fast electron saturation velocity and high carrier mobility allow the device to work at a high level. Therefore, the use of GaN power devices can achieve a larger bandwidth, higher amplifier gain, higher energy efficiency and smaller device size. The terminal power amplifiers utilize symmetrical amplifiers, with the main amplifier biased in Class AB mode and the peaking amplifiers in Class C mode. The input signal is distributed to each amplifier by a power divider with a 90-degree phase shift. The amplified signals are then recombined and output through impedance transformation at the output. When signal strength is low (low-power signals), the load is supplied solely by the main amplifier, while the peaking amplifier is limited. The presence of an impedance inverter ensures that the main amplifier penetrates well below the peaking amplifier's maximum capacity and reaches its maximum efficiency. When signal strength exceeds the peaking amplifier's threshold (high-power signals), the peaking amplifier turns on, and the main and peaking amplifiers work together. The peaking amplifier also contributes to delivering the current energy to the load, increasing the RF output voltage at the load. Impedance transformation at the output reduces the output impedance to 50 ohms. At this point, the main amplifier maintains maximum efficiency, while the peaking amplifier maintains optimal efficiency based on the input power. In both cases, normal power output is maintained while achieving optimal efficiency.

[0042] In the low-power design technical solution of the present invention, a sleep standby mechanism is also designed. In the idle state without business gaps or between transmission and reception, the RF link, especially the operation of devices such as the power amplifier, is shut down, the sleep wake-up mechanism is optimized, and the power consumption of the RF front-end devices is reduced without affecting the business.

[0043] The present invention designs a power consumption optimization mechanism for different transmitting and receiving time slots. In the receiving state, the operation of the transmission path related components, especially the power amplifier components, is shut down. In the transmitting mode, the operation of the receiving path related components, such as the low-noise amplifier and other components, is shut down, so that the power consumption in different transmitting and receiving states is optimized.

[0044] The present invention designs high and low power modes and a power control mechanism, and supports dynamic control of transmission power and switching between high and low power modes inside the power amplifier component according to different working application scenarios. The transmission power gain control function can adjust the transmission output power through the VGA chip. Under low load conditions, the power output is automatically reduced. If the final power tube is still working under low power output conditions, its power fallback will be very large, causing it to be far away from the saturation area of ​​the device, resulting in reduced power amplifier efficiency. It can be switched to low power mode under low power conditions, and the final power tube inside the power amplifier can be bypassed and powered off, and the power output is provided only by the driver stage. Since the saturation power of the driver stage power tube is low, it works closer to the saturation area under low power mode, which can improve the power amplifier efficiency under low power mode.

[0045] It should be noted that within the scope of protection defined in the claims of the present invention, the following embodiments can be combined and / or expanded or replaced in any logical way from the above specific implementation methods, such as disclosed technical principles, disclosed technical features or implicitly disclosed technical features.

[0046] In other embodiments, including but not limited to the following examples:

[0047] Example 1

[0048] An airborne WiFi system power amplifier assembly, characterized in that it includes a dual-band power amplifier module, which provides amplification functions for a transmit channel and a receive channel, and the dual-band power amplifier module includes a first path and a second path, wherein the first path includes a radio frequency port TRX1, a radio frequency transceiver switch K-0, a variable gain amplifier VGA-1, a driver amplifier D1, a final amplifier A-1, a unidirectional transmission circulator H1, a radio frequency transceiver switch K-2, a final amplifier A-3, and an antenna port ANT1;

[0049] The second path includes a radio frequency port TRX2, a radio frequency transceiver switch K-1, a variable gain amplifier VGA-2, a driver amplifier D2, a final amplifier A-2, a unidirectional transmission circulator H2, a radio frequency transceiver switch K-3, a final amplifier A-4, and an antenna port ANT2;

[0050] In the first path, the controller MCU sends the signal to be transmitted to the RF port TRX1 in the transmitting branch. After the signal to be transmitted enters the RF transceiver switching switch K-0 that controls transmission and reception, it enters the variable gain amplifier VGA1 for signal amplification or attenuation. The signal then enters the driver amplifier D1, which amplifies the signal to be transmitted to reach the input power required by the final power amplifier. After that, the signal enters the final amplifier A-1 and is output to the antenna port ANT1 through the unidirectional transmission circulator H1. The signal received by ANT1 is received by the transmission circulator H1 and passes through the RF transceiver switching switch K-2. The received signal then enters the final amplifier A-3, attenuates its signal power, and enters the RF transceiver switching switch K-0.

[0051] In the second path, after the controller MCU sends the signal to be transmitted in the transmitting branch to the RF port TRX2, the signal to be transmitted enters the RF transceiver switching switch K-1 that controls transmission and reception, and then enters the variable gain amplifier VGA2 for signal amplification or attenuation, and then enters the driver amplifier D2 to amplify the signal to be transmitted so that it reaches the input power required by the final power amplifier, and then enters the final amplifier A-2, and is output to the antenna port ANT2 through the unidirectional transmission circulator H2; the signal received by ANT2 is received by the transmission circulator H2, passes through the RF transceiver switching switch K-3, and then enters the final amplifier A-4, where its signal power is attenuated and then enters the RF transceiver switching switch K-1.

[0052] Example 2

[0053] Based on Example 1, the first path is a 2.4 GHz path.

[0054] Example 3

[0055] Based on Example 1, the second path is a 5.8 GHz path.

[0056] Example 4

[0057] Based on Example 1, the dual-band power amplifier module is implemented based on gallium nitride (GaN) material.

[0058] Example 5

[0059] On the basis of embodiment 1, a signal suppression module is further included, which is used to suppress the transmitted spurious signals and the received out-of-band signals to a certain extent.

[0060] Example 6

[0061] Based on the embodiment 1, a detection module is further included to provide coupling detection of the output power.

[0062] Example 7

[0063] Based on Example 6, the output power coupling detection includes forward power coupling detection and reverse power coupling detection, and the detection results are used to implement power detection, power adjustment and temperature detection functions.

[0064] Example 8

[0065] A method for designing an airborne WiFi system power amplifier component is based on the airborne WiFi system power amplifier component described in any one of Embodiments 1 to 7, and includes the following steps:

[0066] Design a sleep standby mechanism: In the idle state between business interruptions or between transmission and reception, shut down the RF link-related devices to optimize the sleep wake-up mechanism and reduce the power consumption of RF front-end devices without affecting business.

[0067] Example 9

[0068] A method for designing an airborne WiFi system power amplifier component is based on the airborne WiFi system power amplifier component described in any one of Embodiments 1 to 7, and includes the following steps:

[0069] Design a power consumption optimization mechanism for different transmit and receive time slots: shut down the transmission path related devices in the receive state, and shut down the reception path related devices in the transmit mode to achieve the best power consumption in different transmit and receive states.

[0070] Example 10

[0071] A method for designing an airborne WiFi system power amplifier component is based on the airborne WiFi system power amplifier component described in any one of Examples 1 to 7, and includes the following steps: designing high- and low-power modes and a power control mechanism: dynamically controlling transmit power and switching between high and low power modes within the power amplifier component according to different operating application scenarios; a transmit power gain control function adjusting transmit output power via a VGA chip; controlling power output reduction in a low-load state; and switching to a low-power mode in a low-power state if a final-stage power tube is still operating, bypassing and powering down the final-stage power tube within the power amplifier, and relying solely on the driver stage to provide power output.

[0072] The units involved in the embodiments of the present invention may be implemented in software or hardware, and the units described may also be provided in a processor. In some cases, the names of these units do not limit the units themselves.

[0073] According to one aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, a computer program product or computer program is provided, comprising computer instructions stored in a computer-readable storage medium. A processor of a computer device reads the computer instructions from the computer-readable storage medium and executes the computer instructions, causing the computer device to perform the methods provided in the various optional implementations described above.

[0074] As another aspect, embodiments of the present invention further provide a computer-readable medium, which may be included in the electronic device described in the above embodiments, or may exist independently and not incorporated into the electronic device. The computer-readable medium carries one or more programs, and when executed by the electronic device, the electronic device implements the methods described in the above embodiments.

Claims

1. An airborne WiFi system power amplifier component, characterized in that: It includes a dual-band power amplifier module, which provides amplification functions for the transmission channel and the reception channel. The dual-band power amplifier module includes a first path and a second path. The first path includes a radio frequency port TRX1, a radio frequency transceiver switch K-0, a variable gain amplifier VGA-1, a driver amplifier D1, a final amplifier A-1, a unidirectional transmission circulator H1, a radio frequency transceiver switch K-2, a final amplifier A-3, and an antenna port ANT1. The second path includes a radio frequency port TRX2, a radio frequency transceiver switch K-1, a variable gain amplifier VGA-2, a driver amplifier D2, a final amplifier A-2, a unidirectional transmission circulator H2, a radio frequency transceiver switch K-3, a final amplifier A-4, and an antenna port ANT2; In the first path, the controller MCU sends the signal to be transmitted to the RF port TRX1 in the transmitting branch. After the signal to be transmitted enters the RF transceiver switching switch K-0 that controls transmission and reception, it enters the variable gain amplifier VGA1 for signal amplification or attenuation. The signal then enters the driver amplifier D1, which amplifies the signal to be transmitted to reach the input power required by the final power amplifier. After that, the signal enters the final amplifier A-1 and is output to the antenna port ANT1 through the unidirectional transmission circulator H1. The signal received by ANT1 is received by the transmission circulator H1 and passes through the RF transceiver switching switch K-2. The received signal then enters the final amplifier A-3, attenuates its signal power, and enters the RF transceiver switching switch K-0. In the second path, after the controller MCU sends the signal to be transmitted in the transmitting branch to the RF port TRX2, the signal to be transmitted enters the RF transceiver switching switch K-1 that controls transmission and reception, and then enters the variable gain amplifier VGA2 for signal amplification or attenuation, and then enters the driver amplifier D2 to amplify the signal to be transmitted so that it reaches the input power required by the final power amplifier, and then enters the final amplifier A-2, and is output to the antenna port ANT2 through the unidirectional transmission circulator H2; the signal received by ANT2 is received by the transmission circulator H2, passes through the RF transceiver switching switch K-3, and then enters the final amplifier A-4, where its signal power is attenuated and then enters the RF transceiver switching switch K-1.

2. The airborne WiFi system power amplifier assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first path is a 2.4 GHz path.

3. The airborne WiFi system power amplifier assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: The second path is a 5.8 GHz path.

4. The airborne WiFi system power amplifier assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: The dual-frequency power amplifier module is implemented based on gallium nitride (GaN) material.

5. The airborne WiFi system power amplifier assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a signal suppression module for suppressing the transmission of spurious signals and the reception of out-of-band signals.

6. The airborne WiFi system power amplifier assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a detection module for providing coupling detection of output power.

7. The airborne WiFi system power amplifier assembly according to claim 6, characterized in that: The output power coupling detection includes forward power coupling detection and reverse power coupling detection, and the detection results are used to implement power detection, power adjustment and temperature detection functions.

8. A design method for an airborne WiFi system power amplifier component, characterized in that: The airborne WiFi system power amplifier component according to any one of claims 1 to 7 comprises the following steps: Design a sleep standby mechanism: In the idle state between business interruptions or between transmission and reception, shut down the RF link-related devices to optimize the sleep wake-up mechanism and reduce the power consumption of RF front-end devices without affecting business.

9. A design method for an airborne WiFi system power amplifier component, characterized in that: The airborne WiFi system power amplifier component according to any one of claims 1 to 7 comprises the following steps: Design a power consumption optimization mechanism for different transmit and receive time slots: shut down the transmission path related devices in the receive state, and shut down the reception path related devices in the transmit mode to achieve the best power consumption in different transmit and receive states.

10. A design method for an airborne WiFi system power amplifier component, characterized in that: The airborne WiFi system power amplifier component according to any one of claims 1 to 7 includes the following steps: designing high and low power modes and a power control mechanism: According to different working application scenarios, the transmission power is dynamically controlled and the high and low power modes are switched inside the power amplifier components. The transmission power gain control function adjusts the transmission output power through the VGA chip; in the low load state, the power output is controlled to be reduced; in the low power output state, if the final power tube is still working, it is switched to low power mode in the low power state, and the final power tube inside the power amplifier is bypassed and powered off, and the power output is provided only by the driver stage.

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