Power amplification device, radio remote unit, base station and communication system

Abstract

The invention discloses a power amplification device, a radio remote unit, a base station and a communication system, relates to the technical field of communication, and is used for reducing the energy consumption of the power amplification device. The power amplification device comprises a first power amplification unit and a second power amplification unit. The output port of the first power amplifier unit is connected with the first port of the circulator unit. And the output port of the second power amplifier unit in the M power amplifier units is connected with the second port of the circulator unit. And the circulator unit is used for outputting the signal received through the first port through the second port and the third port, and outputting the signal received through the second port through the third port. Due to the fact that the circulator unit has the one-way transmission characteristic, the circulator unit can transmit the signals received through the first port to the second port, then the load impedance of the second power amplification unit can be modulated, the efficiency of the power amplification device under the large back-off power can be improved, and the energy consumption of the power amplification device can be reduced.

Description

Power amplifier device, radio remote unit, base station and communication system Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a power amplifier device, a radio remote unit, a base station, and a communication system. Background Art

[0002] The power amplifier (PA) is a crucial component of wireless communication base stations. Its efficiency determines the base station's power consumption, size, and thermal design. To improve spectrum efficiency, wireless communications currently employ a variety of modulation signal formats, such as orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFMA), code-division multiple access (CDMA), and time-division multiple access (TDMA). These signals exhibit varying peak-to-average power ratios (PAPRs), as specified by the relevant protocols. For example, the PAPR of an OFDM signal ranges from 10 to 12 dB.

[0003] Signals with high peak-to-average ratios (PARs) place higher demands on power amplifiers in base stations. To amplify these PAR signals without distortion, PAs typically employ power backoff, operating the PA in Class A or Class AB mode, away from the saturation region and into the linear operating region, thereby improving its linearity. However, due to the characteristics of power transistors, this approach can significantly reduce PA efficiency, increasing base station energy consumption at the same output power.

[0004] Summary of the Invention

[0005] The present application provides a power amplifier device, a radio remote unit, a base station and a communication system, which are used to reduce the energy consumption of the power amplifier device, thereby achieving the purpose of reducing the power consumption of the base station.

[0006] In a first aspect, the present application provides a power amplifier device, comprising M power amplifier units and a circulator unit connected to the M power amplifier units. M is an integer greater than 1. The M power amplifier units include a first power amplifier unit and a second power amplifier unit.

[0007] The output port of the first power amplifier unit is connected to the first port of the circulator unit. The output port of the second power amplifier unit is connected to the second port of the circulator unit. The circulator unit also includes a third port and a fourth port, and the fourth port is selectively connected to a load or the third power amplifier unit via a first switch. When the fourth port is connected to the load via the first switch, the circulator unit is configured to output a signal received via the first port via the second port and the third port, and to output a signal received via the second port via the third port. When the fourth port is connected to the third power amplifier unit via the first switch, the circulator unit is configured to output a signal received via the third port to the third power amplifier unit via the fourth port.

[0008] In the present application, the first power amplifier unit is used to amplify the received signal and input the amplified signal to the first port. The second power amplifier unit is used to amplify the received signal and input the amplified signal to the second port. Since the circulator unit has a unidirectional transmission characteristic, the circulator unit can transmit the signal received through the first port to the second port, and then modulate the load impedance of the second power amplifier unit. Therefore, the power amplifier device can improve the efficiency of the power amplifier device under a larger back-off power based on the active load modulation principle, thereby reducing the energy consumption of the power amplifier device, and further reducing the power consumption of the base station equipped with the power amplifier device.

[0009] When the communication system in which the power amplifier device is installed operates in time division duplexing (TDD) mode, the first power amplifier unit and the second power amplifier unit can be devices of the RF transmission channel, and the third power amplifier unit can be a device of the RF reception channel. The switching between the RF transmission channel and the RF reception channel can be achieved by the first switch. Compared with the solution of an external circulator of the power amplifier (for example, the main power amplifier and the auxiliary power amplifier of the power amplifier are connected to the combiner, the combiner is connected to the circulator, and the circulator realizes the switching of the transmission link and the reception link), the power amplifier device in the present application can realize both the combining and the switching of the transmission link and the reception link through the circulator unit, that is, the power amplifier device no longer needs to be externally connected to a circulator for realizing the switching of the transmission link and the reception link, thereby reducing the insertion loss of the transmission link in the communication system.

[0010] In one possible implementation, the third port of the circulator unit is connected to an antenna. Thus, the circulator unit can transmit the signal of the radio frequency transmission channel through the antenna connected to the third port, thereby achieving an air interface connection between the communication device equipped with the power amplifier and the terminal device.

[0011] In the present application, since the characteristic of the circulator unit is that the signal entering any port of the circulator unit is transmitted to the next port or multiple ports in the direction sequence determined by the static bias magnetic field, the signal received by the circulator unit through the first port can be transmitted to the second port and the third port (for example, the signal received by the circulator unit through the first port can be transmitted to the second port and the third port in sequence), therefore, the first power amplifier unit can be regarded as isolated relative to the second power amplifier unit, that is, the port impedance on the first power amplifier unit side can be close to a constant value, and the LPR of the first power amplifier unit can be close to 1, that is, there is no load pull. Since the closer the load pull ratio is to 1, the better the broadband characteristics of the power amplifier unit matching network, the broadband characteristics of the first power amplifier unit matching network are better.

[0012] In one possible implementation, the first power amplifier unit is the main power amplifier unit, and the second power amplifier unit is the auxiliary power amplifier unit; or, the first power amplifier unit is the auxiliary power amplifier unit, and the second power amplifier unit is the main power amplifier unit. When the first power amplifier unit is the main power amplifier unit, the smaller the power of the power tube selected by the first power amplifier unit, the greater the power fallback that the power amplifier device can achieve. However, when the main power amplifier unit selects a smaller power tube, the greater the optimal impedance Ropt of the main power amplifier unit. In the traditional Doherty (DHT) scheme, the characteristic impedance of the impedance transformation line in the main power amplifier matching network needs to reach the optimal impedance Ropt. Since the larger the characteristic impedance of the impedance transformation line, the narrower the microstrip line needs to be, if the power of the power tube in the main power amplifier is set to be smaller in the DHT scheme, it is more difficult to physically implement based on the distributed microstrip structure.

[0013] In the present application, a circulator unit is provided in the power amplifier device, and the port impedance of the circulator unit is usually a relatively small value, for example, it can usually be 50 ohms. In this way, the characteristic impedance of the quarter-wavelength impedance transformation line of the matching network of the main power amplifier can be calculated as Zt=sqrt(optimal impedance Ropt*50). It can be seen that the characteristic impedance of the quarter-wavelength impedance transformation line of the matching network of the main power amplifier unit is smaller than the optimal impedance Ropt. Therefore, compared with the traditional DHT solution, the quarter-wavelength impedance transformation line of the matching network of the main power amplifier unit of the present application is physically easier to implement.

[0014] In a possible embodiment, the power amplification device further includes a first signal decomposition module. The output port of the first signal decomposition module is connected to the input port of the first power amplifier unit and the input port of the second power amplifier unit, respectively. The first signal decomposition module is used to obtain at least two signals based on the received radio frequency signal, and input the signals of the at least two signals to the first power amplifier unit and the second power amplifier unit, respectively. The first signal decomposition module is used to control the amplitude and / or phase of the two signals input to the first power amplifier unit and the second power amplifier unit. For example, the first signal decomposition module can perform digital amplitude modulation and phase modulation or analog amplitude modulation and phase modulation on the two signals input to the first power amplifier unit and the second power amplifier unit. In this way, the "efficiency pit" problem can be improved by controlling the amplitude and / or phase of the two signals of the first power amplifier unit and the second power amplifier unit.

[0015] In one possible embodiment, the first power amplifier unit is the main power amplifier, and the second power amplifier unit is the auxiliary power amplifier. The first signal decomposition module is specifically used to: after the second power amplifier unit is turned on: control the current value of the signal input to the second power amplifier unit to increase as the output power of the power amplifier device increases; control the current value of the signal input to the first power amplifier unit to decrease as the output power of the power amplifier device increases, and when the current value of the signal input to the first power amplifier unit is less than the preset first current value, control the phase of the current of the signal input to the first power amplifier unit to flip 180 degrees, and control the current value of the signal input to the first power amplifier unit to increase as the output power of the power amplifier device increases. In this way, an additional efficiency peak point can be generated in the medium power region of the power amplifier device, thereby improving the "efficiency pit" problem, thereby improving the overall performance of the power amplifier device.

[0016] In one possible embodiment, the first power amplifier unit includes N1 sub-power amplifier units and a first combiner, where N1 is an integer greater than 1. The output ports of the N1 sub-power amplifier units are connected to the input port of the first combiner, and the output port of the first combiner is connected to the first port of the circulator unit. Each of the N1 sub-power amplifier units can be used to amplify the received signal and input the amplified signal into the first combiner. The first combiner is used to input the received signal from the sub-power amplifier unit in the N1 sub-power amplifier units into the first port. Since the first power amplifier unit includes multiple sub-power amplifier units, an additional efficiency peak point can be generated in the mid-power region, thereby improving the "efficiency pit" problem.

[0017] In one possible embodiment, the second power amplifier unit includes N2 sub-power amplifier units and a second combiner, where N2 is an integer greater than 1. The output ports of the N2 sub-power amplifier units are connected to the input port of the second combiner, and the output port of the second combiner is connected to the second port of the circulator unit. Each of the N2 sub-power amplifier units is used to amplify the received signal and input the amplified signal into the second combiner. The second combiner is used to input the received signal from the sub-power amplifier unit in the N2 sub-power amplifier units into the second port. Since the second power amplifier unit includes multiple sub-power amplifier units, an additional efficiency peak point can be generated in the mid-power region, thereby improving the "efficiency pit" problem.

[0018] In one possible implementation, the power ratio between the first power amplifier unit and the N2 sub-power amplifier units is determined based on a set backoff amount corresponding to the peak efficiency point of the power amplifier device. This allows users to set the power ratio between the first power amplifier unit and the N2 sub-power amplifier units based on the backoff amount corresponding to the actual desired peak efficiency point, thereby meeting diverse user needs.

[0019] In a possible implementation, N2 is 2. The second power amplifier unit 3 can also be considered to adopt a DHT architecture, which is more compatible with existing technologies.

[0020] In one possible embodiment, M is an integer greater than 2, and the circulator unit further includes (M-2) ports connected to (M-2) power amplifier units other than the first and second power amplifier units of the M power amplifier units. When the fourth port is connected to a load via the first switch, the circulator unit is further configured to output signals received at the (M-2) ports via the third port. Because the power amplifier device can include a larger number of power amplifier units, it can generate more efficiency peaks, thereby improving the "efficiency pit" problem and thereby enhancing the overall performance of the power amplifier device 1.

[0021] In one possible implementation, the circulator unit may include one or more circulators. For example, the circulator unit includes a first circulator, which includes M ports connected to M power amplifier units, as well as a third port and a fourth port. For another example, the circulator unit includes a first circulator and a second circulator, which are connected to each other. The M ports connected to the M power amplifier units, as well as the third port and the fourth port are deployed on the first circulator and the second circulator. In this way, the flexibility of the solution can be improved.

[0022] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a power amplification device, comprising M power amplifier units and a circulator unit connected to the M power amplifier units, where M is an integer greater than 1. The M power amplifier units include a first power amplifier unit and a second power amplifier unit. The output port of the first power amplifier unit is selectively connected to the first port of the circulator unit or the input port of the second power amplifier unit through a second switch. The output port of the second power amplifier unit is connected to the second port of the circulator unit. The circulator unit also includes a third port. The circulator unit is configured to output the signal received through the first port through the second port and the third port when a signal is received through the first port, and to output the signal received through the second port through the third port when a signal is received through the second port.

[0023] Because a second switch is added between the first and second power amplifier units, when the first power amplifier unit is connected to the second power amplifier unit via the second switch, the signal can be amplified by the first power amplifier unit before entering the second power amplifier unit for further amplification. Because the signal can be amplified by both the first and second power amplifier units, the back-off amount of the power amplifier device can be increased, improving back-off efficiency.

[0024] In one possible implementation, the circulator unit further includes a fourth port, which is selectively connected to a load or a third power amplifier unit via a first switch. When the fourth port is connected to a load via the first switch, the circulator unit is configured to output the signal received via the first port via the second and third ports if a signal is received via the first port, and to output the signal received via the second port via the third port if a signal is received via the second port. When the fourth port is connected to the third power amplifier unit via the first switch, the circulator unit is configured to output the signal received via the third port to the third power amplifier unit via the fourth port.

[0025] When the communication system in which the power amplifier device is installed operates in TDD mode, the first power amplifier unit and the second power amplifier unit can be devices of the RF transmission channel, and the third power amplifier unit can be a device of the RF reception channel. The switching between the RF transmission channel and the RF reception channel can be achieved by the first switch. Compared with the solution of an external circulator to the power amplifier (for example, the main power amplifier and the auxiliary power amplifier of the power amplifier are connected to the combiner, the combiner is connected to the circulator, and the circulator realizes the switching of the transmission link and the reception link), the power amplifier device in the present application can realize both the combining and the switching of the transmission link and the reception link through the circulator unit, that is, the power amplifier device no longer needs to be externally connected to a circulator for realizing the switching of the transmission link and the reception link, thereby reducing the insertion loss of the transmission link in the communication system.

[0026] In a possible implementation, the power amplifying device further includes a control unit connected to the second switch, the control unit being configured to control the output port of the first power amplifier unit to connect to the first port via the second switch when the power of the power amplifying device is less than the first power value.

[0027] In a possible implementation, the control unit is further configured to: when the power of the power amplifying device is not less than a first power value, control the output port of the first power amplifier unit to connect to the input port of the second power amplifier unit through a second switch.

[0028] When the power amplifier device operates at low power, the second switch is switched to the first port, and the second power amplifier unit is in the off state. At this time, the RF signal is directly driven and amplified by the first power amplifier unit, enters the circulator unit, and is output through the third port. When the power amplifier device operates at high power, the second switch is switched from the first port to the second power amplifier unit. At this time, the RF signal is directly driven and amplified by the first power amplifier unit, and then further amplified by the second power amplifier unit, enters the circulator unit, and is output through the third port. This can increase the back-off amount of the power amplifier device and improve the back-off efficiency.

[0029] In one possible embodiment, the power amplification device further includes a second signal decomposition module. The output port of the second signal decomposition module is connected to the input port of the first power amplifier unit; the second signal decomposition module is configured to separate the received RF signal into K1 signal paths, and input the signals in the K1 signal paths into the input ports of K1 sub-power amplifier units of the first power amplifier unit, where K1 is an integer greater than 1.

[0030] Due to the high-efficiency power amplifier architecture nested in the first power amplifier unit, the back-off amount of the power amplifier device can be further increased, and the back-off efficiency can also be improved, and more peak points will be added in the mid-power area, thereby improving the "efficiency pit" problem.

[0031] In one possible embodiment, the power amplification device further includes a third signal decomposition module. The output port of the first power amplifier unit is selectively connected to the first port or the input port of the third signal decomposition module via a second switch. The output port of the third signal decomposition module is connected to the input port of the second power amplifier unit.

[0032] In one possible embodiment, M is an integer greater than 2, and the output port of the third signal decomposition module is also connected to the input ports of the (M-1) power amplifier units other than the first power amplifier unit among the M power amplifier units. The circulator unit also includes (M-1) ports connected to the (M-1) power amplifier units other than the first power amplifier unit among the M power amplifier units. The output ports of the (M-1) power amplifier units are connected to the (M-1) ports of the circulator unit in a one-to-one correspondence. For example, the output port of one of the (M-1) power amplifier units is connected to one of the (M-1) ports of the circulator unit, and one of the (M-1) ports of the circulator unit is connected to the output port of one of the (M-1) power amplifier units.

[0033] Since the power amplification device can include more power amplifier units, and the signal amplified by the first power amplifier unit can be amplified again by multiple amplification units, the back-off amount of the power amplification device can be further increased, and the back-off efficiency can also be improved, and more peak points can be added in the medium power area, thereby improving the "efficiency pit" problem.

[0034] In one possible implementation, the third signal decomposition module is configured to divide the received RF signal into K2 signal paths, and input the signals in the K2 signal paths into the input ports of the K2 sub-power amplifier units of the second power amplifier unit, where K2 is an integer greater than 1. Due to the high-efficiency power amplifier architecture nested in the second power amplifier unit, the back-off amount of the power amplifier device can be further increased, and the back-off efficiency can also be improved. Furthermore, more peak points can be added in the mid-power region, thereby improving the "efficiency pit" problem.

[0035] In a possible implementation manner, the circulator unit is further configured to: output signals received through the (M-2) ports through a third port.

[0036] In one possible implementation, the third port of the circulator unit is connected to an antenna. Thus, the circulator unit can transmit the signal of the radio frequency transmission channel through the antenna connected to the third port, thereby achieving an air interface connection between the communication device equipped with the power amplifier and the terminal device.

[0037] In one possible implementation, the circulator unit may include one or more circulators. For example, the circulator unit includes a first circulator, which includes M ports connected to M power amplifier units, as well as a third port and a fourth port. For another example, the circulator unit includes a first circulator and a second circulator, which are connected to each other. The M ports connected to the M power amplifier units, as well as the third port and the fourth port are deployed on the first circulator and the second circulator. In this way, the flexibility of the solution can be improved.

[0038] In a possible implementation, the first power amplifier unit is a main power amplifier unit or an auxiliary power amplifier unit, and the second power amplifier unit is of a different type from the first power amplifier unit in the main power amplifier unit and the auxiliary power amplifier unit. This can improve the flexibility of the solution.

[0039] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a radio remote unit, comprising the power amplification device described in the first aspect and any possible implementation manner of the first aspect.

[0040] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a radio remote unit, comprising the power amplification device described in the second aspect and any possible implementation manner of the second aspect.

[0041] In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a base station, comprising the radio remote unit described in the third aspect or the fourth aspect.

[0042] In a sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication system, comprising a baseband processing unit; a power amplification device described in at least one first aspect and any possible implementation manner of the first aspect connected to the baseband processing unit; and an antenna connected to the third port of the circulator unit in the power amplification device.

[0043] In the seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication system, including a baseband processing unit; a power amplification device described in at least one second aspect and any possible implementation manner of the second aspect connected to the baseband processing unit; and an antenna connected to the third port of the circulator unit in the power amplification device. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0044] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of a scenario applicable to an embodiment of the present application;

[0045] 2A and 2B are schematic diagrams of the structures of several communication systems provided in embodiments of the present application;

[0046] FIG3A , FIG3B and FIG3C are schematic diagrams of several possible structures of the power amplifier device 1 provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0047] 4A and 4B are schematic diagrams of several possible efficiency curves of the power amplifier device 1;

[0048] FIG5A is a schematic diagram of another possible structure of a communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0049] FIG5B is a schematic diagram of curves of the voltage and normalized output power Pout of the first power amplifier unit and the second power amplifier unit in FIG5A ;

[0050] FIG5C is a schematic diagram of curves of current and normalized output power Pout of the first power amplifier unit and the second power amplifier unit in FIG5A ;

[0051] FIG5D is a schematic diagram of curves showing the efficiency and normalized output power Pout of the first power amplifier unit and the second power amplifier unit in FIG5A ;

[0052] FIG6A is a schematic diagram of another possible structure of a communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0053] FIG6B is a schematic diagram of a possible efficiency curve of the power amplifying device 1 in FIG6A when the first power amplifying unit 2 is the main power amplifying unit;

[0054] FIG6C is a schematic diagram of a possible efficiency curve of the power amplifier device 1 when PA31 in the second power amplifier unit 3 in FIG6A is the main power amplifier unit;

[0055] 7A, 7B and 7C are schematic diagrams of several possible structures of one power amplifier unit 10 among the M power amplifier units provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0056] FIG7D is a schematic diagram of another possible communication system architecture applicable to the embodiment of the present application;

[0057] 8A, 8B and 8C are schematic diagrams of several possible structures of the circulator unit 4 in an embodiment of the present application;

[0058] 9A, 9B, and 9C are schematic diagrams of the architectures of several communication systems applicable to embodiments of the present application;

[0059] FIG10 is a schematic diagram of a possible structure of another power amplifier device 1 provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0060] FIG11 is a schematic diagram of a possible structure of another power amplifying device 1 provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0061] FIG12A is a schematic structural diagram of another possible power amplifying device 1 provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0062] FIG12B is a schematic diagram of a possible efficiency curve of the power amplifier device 1 in FIG12A ;

[0063] FIG13 is a schematic structural diagram of another possible power amplifying device 1 provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0064] FIG. 14A and FIG. 14B are schematic diagrams of several possible structures of the power amplifying device 1 provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0065] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, such as: Long Term Evolution (LTE) system, LTE Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) system, LTE Time Division Duplex (TDD), Fifth Generation (5G) system, New Radio (NR) and other future communication systems, etc., without limitation here.

[0066] In a wireless communication system, devices can be divided into devices that provide wireless network services and devices that use wireless network services. Figure 1 illustrates a scenario where an embodiment of the present application is applicable. In Figure 1, the device that provides wireless network services is a base station, and the device that uses wireless network services is a terminal.

[0067] The equipment that provides wireless network services refers to those devices that make up a wireless communication network. These devices can be referred to as network equipment or network elements. Network equipment typically belongs to operators or infrastructure providers, who are responsible for their operation and maintenance. Network equipment can be further categorized as radio access network (RAN) equipment and core network (CN) equipment. Typical RAN equipment includes base stations (BSs).

[0068] It should be understood that a base station may sometimes also be referred to as an access point (AP) or a transmission reception point (TRP). Specifically, a base station may be a generation Node B (gNB) in a 5G new radio (NR) system or an evolutionary Node B (eNB) in a 4G long term evolution (LTE) system. Depending on the physical form or transmit power of the base station, the base station may be divided into a macro base station or a micro base station. A micro base station is sometimes also referred to as a small base station or a small cell.

[0069] A device that uses wireless network services can be referred to as a terminal. Continuing to refer to Figure 1, a terminal can establish a connection with a network device and provide specific wireless communication services to users based on the services of the network device. It should be understood that due to the closer relationship between the terminal and the user, it is sometimes also referred to as user equipment (UE) or subscriber unit (SU). In addition, compared to base stations that are usually placed in fixed locations, terminals often move with users and are sometimes also referred to as mobile stations (MS). In addition, some network devices, such as relay nodes (RN) or wireless routers, can sometimes also be considered terminals because they have UE identities or belong to users.

[0070] Specifically, the terminal can be a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a wearable device (such as a smart watch, a smart bracelet, a smart helmet, and smart glasses), and other devices with wireless access capabilities, such as smart cars, various Internet of Things (IoT) devices, including various smart home devices (such as smart meters and smart appliances) and smart city devices (such as security or monitoring equipment, and smart road traffic facilities).

[0071] Based on the content shown in Figure 1, Figures 2A and 2B exemplarily show the structural diagrams of several communication systems provided in the embodiments of the present application. The structures of the communication systems shown in Figures 2A and 2B can be deployed in the base station shown in Figure 1.

[0072] Please refer to Figure 2A, which shows some common components used for RF signal processing in a communication system. The communication system includes a baseband subsystem. The signal to be transmitted generated by the baseband subsystem can be transmitted through an RF transmission channel. The RF transmission channel can include components such as a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) and a mixer. Before being transmitted through the antenna, the output signal of the RF transmission channel is further amplified by a power amplifier device 1 and filtered by a filter before being transmitted through the antenna.

[0073] The power amplifier device 1 in the system architecture shown in FIG2A can have the function of switching between the RF transmission channel and the RF reception channel. For example, when the communication system operates in TDD mode, the power amplifier device 1 has the function of switching between the RF transmission channel and the RF reception channel. The signal received by the base station through the antenna can also be transmitted to the RF reception channel through the device in the power amplifier device 1. For example, the signal received by the base station through the antenna can be transmitted to the low noise amplifier (LNA) after being processed by the filter. The LNA amplifies the received signal and sends it to the RF reception channel. The RF reception channel may include devices such as a mixer, a filter, and an analog to digital converter (ADC). The RF reception channel transmits the processed signal to the baseband subsystem for processing.

[0074] Figure 2A is merely an example, and the embodiments of the present application do not list all components included in the RF receive channel and the RF transmit channel. It should be understood that although Figure 2A only shows one RF receive channel and one RF transmit channel, the communication system in the embodiments of the present application is not limited thereto and may include one or more RF receive channels and one or more RF transmit channels.

[0075] It is worth noting that the communication system shown in Figure 2A can be regarded as an example of a possible application scenario of the power amplifier device 1. In actual applications, the power amplifier device 1 can also be applied to other scenarios that require signal amplification and switching between the RF receiving channel and the RF transmitting channel.

[0076] Referring to FIG. 2B , compared to FIG. 2A , the communication system shown in FIG. 2B may further include a duplexer, and the communication system shown in FIG. 2B may operate in FDD mode. Before being transmitted through the antenna, the output signal of the RF transmit channel is amplified by power amplifier 1 and then transmitted through the antenna. In FIG. 2B , power amplifier 1 may not necessarily be capable of switching between the RF transmit channel and the RF receive channel. The remaining details of FIG. 2B are similar to those of FIG. 2A and are not further described.

[0077] Based on the embodiments shown in Figures 1 and 2A and the other contents described above, Figure 3A exemplarily shows a possible structural diagram of a power amplifier device 1 provided in an embodiment of the present application. The power amplifier device 1 shown in Figure 3A may be the power amplifier device 1 shown in Figure 2A above.

[0078] As shown in Figure 3A, the power amplifying device 1 includes M power amplifier units and a circulator unit 4, and the M power amplifier units are connected to the circulator unit 4. M is an integer greater than 1, and M can be 2 or greater than 2. Figure 3A illustrates the example of M power amplifier units including a first power amplifier unit 2 and a second power amplifier unit 3. In the embodiment of the present application, one power amplifier unit in the M power amplifier units may include a power amplifier (the power amplifier unit may also be referred to as a single power tube implementation), and one power amplifier unit may include multiple power amplifiers (the power amplifier unit may also be referred to as a multi-power tube implementation). The power amplifier units in the M power amplifier units can amplify the received signals. Figure 3A illustrates the example of the first power amplifier unit including a power amplifier and the second power amplifier unit including a power amplifier.

[0079] The circulator unit in the embodiment of the present application may include one or more circulators. A circulator refers to a device that transmits an incident wave (signal) entering any port of the circulator unit to the next port or multiple ports in a direction sequence determined by the static bias magnetic field. FIG3A illustrates an example in which the circulator unit 4 includes a circulator, and the transmission direction of the signal in the circulator is clockwise. The circulator unit 4 is provided with four or more ports, and FIG3A illustrates an example in which the circulator unit 4 is provided with four ports.

[0080] Referring to Figure 3A , circulator unit 4 includes a first port 41, a second port 42, a third port 43, and a fourth port 44. The output port of first power amplifier unit 2 is connected to first port 41. The output port of second power amplifier unit 3 is connected to second port 42. Fourth port 44 of circulator unit 4 is selectively connected to load 7 or third power amplifier unit 8 via first switch 6.

[0081] The load 7 can be, for example, a resistor, the impedance of which can be the same as or similar to the impedance of the circulator port. For example, if the impedance of the fourth port is 50 ohms, the impedance of the load 7 can also be 50 ohms, so that the impedance of the load matches the impedance of the circulator port to which the load is connected. To more clearly understand the solution provided by the embodiment of the present application, FIG3A also shows a third power amplifier unit 8. The third power amplifier unit 8 can be a power amplifier connected to the RF receiving channel. The third power amplifier unit 8 can include one or more power amplifiers. For example, the third power amplifier unit 8 can be the LNA described in FIG2A .

[0082] As shown in FIG3A , the power amplifying device can implement switching between the radio frequency transmitting channel and the radio frequency receiving channel through the first switch 6 .

[0083] (1) The RF transmission channel is in working state.

[0084] When the RF transmit channel is required to be in an operating state (in this case, the RF receive channel may be in an inoperative state, or the RF receive channel is not in an operating state), the fourth port 44 may be connected to the load 7 via the first switch 6. In this case, the circulator unit 4 may transmit the signal received through the first port 41 to the second port 42 and the third port 43 (for example, the circulator unit 4 may transmit the signal received through the first port 41 to the second port 42 and the third port 43 in sequence), and output the signal received through the second port 42 through the third port 43.

[0085] In one possible embodiment, the third port 43 can be connected to other devices (such as a filter), and the impedance of the device connected to the third port 43 is configured to be the same as or close to the impedance of the third port 43. In this way, the impedance of the device connected to the third port 43 is close to the impedance of the third port 43. Therefore, almost all signals received by the first port 41 and the second port 42 can be transmitted through the third port 43.

[0086] Since the circulator unit 4 has a unidirectional transmission characteristic, the circulator unit 4 can transmit the signal received through the first port 41 to the second port 42, and then modulate the load impedance of the second power amplifier unit 3. Therefore, the power amplifier device 1 can improve the efficiency of the power amplifier device 1 under a larger back-off power based on the active load modulation principle, thereby reducing the energy consumption of the power amplifier device 1, and further reducing the power consumption of the base station equipped with the power amplifier device 1.

[0087] Since the characteristic of the circulator unit 4 is that a signal entering any port of the circulator unit 4 is transmitted to the next port or multiple ports in a direction determined by the static bias magnetic field, the signal received by the circulator unit 4 through the first port can be transmitted to the second port 42 and the third port 43 (for example, the signal received by the circulator unit 4 through the first port can be transmitted to the second port 42 and the third port 43 in sequence). Therefore, the first power amplifier unit can be considered to be in an isolated state relative to the second power amplifier unit, that is, the port impedance on the first power amplifier unit side can be close to a constant value, and the load-pull ratio (LPR) of the first power amplifier unit can be close to 1, that is, there is no load pull. Since the closer the load-pull ratio is to 1, the better the broadband characteristics of the power amplifier unit matching network, the broadband characteristics of the matching network of the first power amplifier unit 2 are better.

[0088] In one possible implementation, when the first power amplifier unit 2 is the main power amplifier unit, the smaller the power of the power tube selected by the first power amplifier unit 2, the greater the power back-off amount that the power amplifier device 1 can achieve. However, when the main power amplifier unit selects a smaller power tube, the greater the optimal impedance Ropt of the main power amplifier unit. In the traditional DHT solution, the characteristic impedance of the impedance transformation line in the main power amplifier matching network needs to reach the optimal impedance Ropt. Since the larger the characteristic impedance of the impedance transformation line, the narrower the microstrip line needs to be, if the power of the power tube in the main power amplifier is set to be smaller in the DHT solution, it is more difficult to physically implement based on the distributed microstrip structure.

[0089] In the present application, a circulator unit is provided in the power amplifier device, and the port impedance of the circulator unit is usually a relatively small value, for example, it can usually be 50 ohms. In this way, the characteristic impedance of the quarter-wavelength impedance transformation line of the matching network of the main power amplifier can be calculated as Zt=sqrt(optimal impedance Ropt*50). It can be seen that the characteristic impedance of the quarter-wavelength impedance transformation line of the matching network of the main power amplifier unit is smaller than the optimal impedance Ropt. Therefore, compared with the traditional DHT solution, the quarter-wavelength impedance transformation line of the matching network of the main power amplifier unit of the present application is physically easier to implement.

[0090] (2) The RF receiving channel is in working state.

[0091] When the RF receive channel is required to be in an active state (in this case, the RF transmit channel can be in an inactive state, or the RF transmit channel is not in an active state), the fourth port 44 can be connected to the third power amplifier unit 8 via the first switch 6. The third power amplifier unit 8 can be, for example, the LNA shown in Figure 2A. In this case, the circulator unit 4 is configured to output the signal received through the third port 43 to the third power amplifier unit 8 through the fourth port 44.

[0092] Since the impedance of the third power amplifier unit 8 is configured to be the same as or close to the impedance of the fourth port 44, the impedance of the third power amplifier unit 8 is close to the impedance of the fourth port 44. Since the RF transmission channel is in a working state and not in a working state at this time, that is, the M power amplifier units are in a turned-off state, almost all the signals received by the third port 43 can be transmitted through the fourth port 44.

[0093] From the above content, it can be seen that the switching between the RF transmission channel and the RF reception channel can be achieved through the first switch 6. Compared with the solution of connecting the power amplifier to a circulator (for example, the main power amplifier and the auxiliary power amplifier of the power amplifier are connected to a combiner, the combiner is connected to a circulator, and the circulator realizes the switching of the transmission link and the reception link), the power amplifier device 4 in the present application can realize both the combining and the switching of the transmission link and the reception link through the circulator unit 7, that is, the power amplifier device 4 no longer needs to be connected to an external circulator for realizing the switching of the transmission link and the reception link, thereby reducing the insertion loss of the transmission link in the communication system.

[0094] Based on the embodiments shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2B and the other contents described above, FIG. 3B and FIG. 3C exemplarily show several possible structural diagrams of the power amplifying device 1 provided in the embodiments of the present application.

[0095] The power amplifier device 1 shown in Figures 3B and 3C may be the power amplifier device 1 shown in Figure 2B above. As can be seen from Figure 2B, the power amplifier device 1 provided in the embodiment of the present application may not need to have the function of switching between the RF transmission channel and the RF reception channel. Therefore, compared with Figure 3A above, the fourth port 44 of the circulator unit 4 in Figure 3B can be directly connected to the load 7, and the first switch 6 does not need to be provided in the power amplifier device 1. Compared with Figure 3A above, the circulator unit 4 in Figure 3C may not include the fourth port 44, and then the power amplifier device does not need to include the first switch 6 and the load 7 connected to the fourth port 44.

[0096] 3B or 3C , the power amplification device 1 includes M power amplifier units and a circulator unit 4, wherein the M power amplifier units are connected to the circulator unit 4. The circulator unit 4 can be used to transmit a signal received through a first port 41 to a second port 42 and a third port 43, and output a signal received through the second port 42 through the third port 43.

[0097] Since the circulator unit 4 has a unidirectional transmission characteristic, the circulator unit 4 can transmit the signal received through the first port 41 to the second port 42, and then modulate the load impedance of the second power amplifier unit 3. Therefore, the power amplifier device 1 can improve the efficiency of the power amplifier device 1 under a larger back-off power based on the active load modulation principle, thereby reducing the energy consumption of the power amplifier device 1, and further reducing the power consumption of the base station equipped with the power amplifier device 1.

[0098] The relevant contents of FIG. 3B and FIG. 3C are similar to the relevant descriptions in FIG. 3A , and are not repeated here.

[0099] In the embodiments shown in Figures 3A, 3B, and 3C, the first power amplifier unit 2 is a main power amplifier unit or an auxiliary power amplifier unit, and the second power amplifier unit 3 is a different power amplifier type from the first power amplifier unit 2 in the main power amplifier unit and the auxiliary power amplifier unit. In one possible implementation, when the power of the input signal of the power amplifier device 1 is relatively low, the main power amplifier unit may be operated while the auxiliary power amplifier unit is not operated. After the main power amplifier unit gradually reaches a saturation state, as the input power of the power amplifier device gradually increases, the auxiliary power amplifier unit is turned on until both the main power amplifier unit and the auxiliary power amplifier unit reach a saturation state.

[0100] Based on the embodiments shown in FIG. 1 , FIG. 2A , FIG. 2B , FIG. 3A , FIG. 3B and FIG. 3C and the other contents described above, FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B exemplarily show schematic diagrams of several possible efficiency curves of the power amplifying device 1 .

[0101] In Figure 4A, the first power amplifier unit 2 is the main power amplifier unit, the second power amplifier unit 3 is the auxiliary power amplifier unit, the first power amplifier unit includes a power amplifier, the second power amplifier unit includes a power amplifier, and the power ratio of the maximum output power of the first power amplifier unit to the maximum output power of the second power amplifier unit is 1:8.

[0102] Referring to FIG4A , the operating range of the power amplifier device 1 can be roughly divided into three stages depending on the input signal power intensity: a low power range, a medium power range, and a high power range. The three stages are described in detail below with reference to the efficiency curve of the power amplifier device 1 in FIG4A .

[0103] (1) Low power region (the region where the normalized output power of the power amplifier device in FIG4A is less than -9.5 dB).

[0104] In the low-power region, the bias mode of the path (Peak path) of the auxiliary power amplifier unit is Class C, and its input power is insufficient to drive it to work. At this time, the Peak path is in an open-circuit state, which can also be understood as the peak path is not turned on. At the same time, the bias mode of the path (Main path) of the main power amplifier unit can be Class AB, and the impedance remains unchanged. As the input power of the power amplifier device 1 increases, the main power amplifier unit enters a saturation state, and the voltage reaches the full swing, achieving the first high-efficiency point in the operation process of the power amplifier device 1. As shown in FIG4A , the power back-off point corresponding to the first high-power point of the power amplifier device 1 is -9.5dB, that is, the input power of the power amplifier device 1 is 9.5dB less than when the main power amplifier unit and the auxiliary power amplifier unit in the power amplifier device 1 are both at full power.

[0105] (2) Medium power region (the region where the normalized output power Pout of the power amplifier device in FIG4A is between -9.5 dB and 0 dB).

[0106] As the input power of power amplifier device 1 gradually increases, the Peak path opens, and the Main path impedance gradually decreases, but its voltage remains at full swing, maintaining a saturated state. Simultaneously, the Peak path impedance also gradually decreases, while the voltage gradually increases. The Peak path's operating efficiency and output power increase with the increase in input signal, but do not reach saturation. Therefore, the overall operating efficiency of power amplifier device 1 first decreases and then increases.

[0107] In the embodiment of the present application, each area may also have other names, for example, the medium power area may also be called the fallback area.

[0108] (3) High power region (the region where the normalized output power Pout of the power amplifier device in FIG4A is 0 dB).

[0109] As the input power of power amplifier device 1 increases further, both the Main and Peak paths reach saturation, and the voltages reach their full rails. At this point, power amplifier device 1 reaches its second highest efficiency point. As shown in Figure 4A, this second high power point corresponds to a power back-off point of 0 dB for the power amplifier. At this point, power amplifier device 1 reaches its highest possible output power within the entire system.

[0110] It can be seen that when the power amplifier device 1 operates away from the high power region and enters the medium power region (power back-off amount -9.5dB to 0dB as shown in FIG4A ), it can still ensure high power amplifier efficiency and low power consumption.

[0111] Figure 4B takes the case where the first power amplifier unit 2 is an auxiliary power amplifier unit, the second power amplifier unit 3 is a main power amplifier unit, the first power amplifier unit includes a power amplifier, the second power amplifier unit includes a power amplifier, the first power amplifier unit is an auxiliary power amplifier unit, the second power amplifier unit is a main power amplifier unit, and the power ratio of the maximum output power of the first power amplifier unit to the maximum output power of the second power amplifier unit is 1:1 as an example.

[0112] Compared with FIG4A , the difference in the efficiency curve diagram shown in FIG4B is that the power back-off point corresponding to the first high power point of the power amplifier device 1 is -11dB, the low power region of the power amplifier device 1 shown in FIG4B is the region where the normalized output power is less than -11dB, and the medium power region is the region where the normalized output power Pout is between -11dB and 0dB. It can be seen from the contents shown in FIG4A and FIG4B above that the setting of the main power amplifier unit in the power amplifier device 1 provided in the embodiment of the present application is relatively flexible, and any one of the M power amplifier units can be used as the main power amplifier unit. By setting the power ratio of each power amplifier unit, a larger power back-off amount of the power amplifier device 1 can be achieved.

[0113] On the other hand, please refer to Figures 3A, 3B and 3C. Since the signal emitted by the first power amplifier unit needs to travel more along the link from the first port 41 to the second port 42 than the signal emitted by the second power amplifier unit, compared with the solution in which the first power amplifier unit serves as the main power amplifier unit, if the first power amplifier unit serves as the auxiliary power amplifier unit, it can be turned on later, thereby reducing the amount of signal that needs to be transmitted on the link from the first port 41 to the second port 42, thereby further reducing the insertion loss of the output matching network.

[0114] Based on the embodiments shown in Figures 1, 2A, 2B, 3A, 3B, 3C, 4A and 4B and the other contents described above, Figure 5A exemplarily shows another possible structural diagram of the communication system provided by the embodiments of the present application. The embodiment shown in Figure 5A can be regarded as an extended embodiment of the embodiments of Figures 3A, 3B and 3C of the aforementioned embodiments. Figure 5A is illustrated using the architecture of the power amplifier device 1 shown in Figure 3A as an example. The embodiment involved in Figure 5A is also applicable to the embodiment shown in Figure 3B above. In this case, it can be understood that the fourth port 44 in the power amplifier device 1 in the embodiment shown in Figure 5A is directly connected to the load 7, and the power amplifier device 1 does not include the first switch 6. The rest of the contents of the embodiments shown in Figures 3A and 3B are applicable and will not be repeated hereafter. The embodiment involved in Figure 5A is also applicable to the embodiment shown in Figure 3C above. In this case, it can be understood that the fourth port 44, the first switch 6 and the load 7 are not included in the power amplifier device 1 in the embodiment shown in Figure 5A. The rest of the contents of the embodiments shown in Figures 3A and 3C are applicable and will not be repeated hereafter.

[0115] Please refer to Figure 5A. In one possible implementation, the third port 43 of the circulator unit 4 in the embodiment of the present application can be connected to an antenna. For example, the third port 43 of the circulator unit 4 can serve as the output port of the power amplifier device, and the third port can be connected to a filter, which is connected to the antenna. In this way, the signal received by the third port 43 of the circulator unit 4 from other ports of the circulator unit can be sent to the antenna through the third port 43 so as to be transmitted by the antenna. The signal received by the antenna can also be transmitted to the fourth port 44 through the third port 43 of the circulator unit 4, and then transmitted to the third power amplifier unit 8 through the fourth port 44.

[0116] The power amplifying device 1 shown in FIG5A further includes a first signal decomposition module 9. It can also be understood that the power amplifying device 1 shown in FIG3A, FIG3B or FIG3C may also include a first signal decomposition module 9.

[0117] The output port of the first signal decomposition module 9 is respectively connected to the input port of the first power amplifier unit 2 and the input port of the second power amplifier unit 3. The first signal decomposition module 9 is configured to obtain at least two signals based on the received RF signal and input the signals of the at least two signals to the first power amplifier unit 2 and the second power amplifier unit 3, respectively.

[0118] In one possible implementation, the first signal decomposition module 9 is configured to control the amplitude and / or phase of the two signals input to the first power amplifier unit 2 and the second power amplifier unit 3. The first signal decomposition module 9 may perform digital amplitude modulation and phase modulation or analog amplitude modulation and phase modulation on the two signals input to the first power amplifier unit 2 and the second power amplifier unit 3.

[0119] As can be seen from the schematic diagrams of Figures 4A and 4B above, although the power amplifier device 1 can improve the efficiency in the mid-power region, there is an "efficiency pit" in the mid-power region. In order to improve the "efficiency pit" problem in the mid-power region, the embodiment of the present application provides a possible implementation method in which the first power amplifier unit 2 is the main power amplifier and the second power amplifier unit 3 is the auxiliary power amplifier. The first signal decomposition module 9 is specifically used to:

[0120] After the second power amplifier unit 3 is turned on: the value of the current of the signal input to the second power amplifier unit 3 is controlled to increase as the output power of the power amplifier device 1 increases;

[0121] The value of the current of the signal input to the first power amplifier unit 2 is controlled to decrease as the output power of the power amplifier device 1 increases, and when the value of the current of the signal input to the first power amplifier unit 2 is less than the preset first current value, the phase of the current of the signal input to the first power amplifier unit 2 is controlled to flip 180 degrees, and the value of the current of the signal input to the first power amplifier unit 2 is controlled to increase as the output power of the power amplifier device 1 increases.

[0122] Based on the embodiment shown in Figure 5A, Figure 5B exemplarily shows a curve diagram of the voltage and normalized output power Pout of the first power amplifier unit and the second power amplifier unit in Figure 5A, Figure 5C exemplarily shows a curve diagram of the current and normalized output power Pout of the first power amplifier unit and the second power amplifier unit in Figure 5A, and Figure 5D exemplarily shows a curve diagram of the efficiency and normalized output power Pout of the first power amplifier unit and the second power amplifier unit in Figure 5A.

[0123] As shown in Figures 5B and 5C, after the second power amplifier unit 3 is turned on, the second power amplifier unit 3 is actively pulled by the first power amplifier unit 2, so that the operating voltage of the second power amplifier unit 3 is always maintained in a full-swing state, that is, the output voltage amplitude of the second power amplifier unit 3 is constant, and the current of the second power amplifier unit 3 increases with the increase of the output power of the power amplifier device 1.

[0124] Since the characteristic of the circulator unit 4 is that a signal entering any port of the circulator unit 4 is transmitted to the next port or multiple ports in the direction sequence determined by the static bias magnetic field, the signal received by the circulator unit 4 through the first port can be transmitted to the second port 42 and the third port 43 (for example, the signal received by the circulator unit 4 through the first port can be transmitted to the second port 42 and the third port 43 in sequence). Therefore, the first power amplifier unit 2 can be regarded as isolated relative to the second power amplifier unit 3, that is, the port impedance on the side of the first power amplifier unit 2 can be regarded as close to a constant value. Therefore, the voltage of the signal input to the first power amplifier unit 2 increases with the increase of the output power of the power amplifying device 1.

[0125] The current of the signal received by the first power amplifier unit 2 is controlled by the first signal decomposition module 9 to first decrease as the output power of the power amplifier device 1 increases. When it decreases to zero (the preset first current value is 0A as an example in Figure 5B), the phase is flipped 180 degrees and increases as the output power of the power amplifier device 1 increases.

[0126] Referring to FIG5D , when the first signal decomposition module 9 digitally controls the amplitude and phase of the two signals input to the first power amplifier unit 2 and the second power amplifier unit 3 based on the curve shown in FIG5C (in this case, the power amplifier device can also be referred to as a dual-input mode), an additional efficiency peak point can be generated in the mid-power region, thereby improving the "efficiency pit". Compared with the aforementioned FIG4A , FIG5D can generate an additional efficiency peak point at a position where the normalized output power Pout in the mid-power region is -4dB, thereby improving the "efficiency pit" problem in the mid-power region and improving the overall performance of the power amplifier device.

[0127] It is worth noting that in actual applications, the amplitude and phase of the current input to the first power amplifier unit and the second power amplifier unit can be adjusted in real time according to the output power of the power amplifier device 1. Figure 5C only gives a possible example, and in actual applications, adjustments can be made according to actual conditions.

[0128] The schemes shown in Figures 5A, 5B, and 5C can also be applied to the power amplifier device 1 shown in Figure 3B or 3C. In this case, the first power amplifier unit 2 and the second power amplifier unit 3 in Figure 3B or 3C can also be connected to the first signal decomposition module 9. The first signal decomposition module 9 digitally controls the amplitude and phase of the two signals input to the first power amplifier unit 2 and the second power amplifier unit 3 based on the curve shown in Figure 5C, thereby generating an additional efficiency peak point in the mid-power region of the power amplifier device 1 in Figure 3B or 3C, thereby improving the "efficiency pit". The relevant content is similar to the above content and will not be repeated here.

[0129] Based on the embodiments shown in Figures 1, 2A, 2B, 3A, 3B, 3C, 4A, 4B, 5A, 5B, 5C, and 5D, and the other contents described above, Figure 6A exemplarily shows another possible structural diagram of the communication system provided by an embodiment of the present application. The embodiment shown in Figure 6A can be regarded as an extended embodiment of the embodiment of the aforementioned embodiment Figures 3A, 3B, or 3C, and can also be used in combination with the embodiments shown in the aforementioned Figures 5A, 5B, 5C, and 5D. Figure 6A is shown using the architecture of the power amplifier device 1 shown in Figure 3A as an example, and the embodiment involved in Figure 6A is also applicable to the embodiment shown in the aforementioned Figures 3B or 3C.

[0130] As shown in FIG6A , the second power amplifier unit includes N2 sub-power amplifier units and a second combiner 33 , where N2 is an integer greater than 1. Each of the N2 sub-power amplifier units may include one or more power amplifiers. FIG6A illustrates an example in which N2 is 2, one sub-power amplifier unit includes PA31, and the other sub-power amplifier unit includes PA32.

[0131] The output ports of the N2 sub-power amplifier units are connected to the input port of the second combiner 33, and the output port of the second combiner 33 is connected to the second port 42 of the circulator unit 4. Each of the N2 sub-power amplifier units is configured to amplify a received signal and input the amplified signal to the second combiner 33. The second combiner 33 is configured to input the received signals from the N2 sub-power amplifier units into the second port 42. As shown in FIG6A , the second combiner 33 may include one or more impedance transformation networks (e.g., a quarter-wavelength impedance transformation network).

[0132] Because the second power amplifier unit includes multiple sub-power amplifier units, an additional efficiency peak point can be generated in the mid-power region, thereby improving the "efficiency pit" problem. Figures 6B and 6C exemplarily illustrate several possible efficiency curves of the power amplifier device 1 in Figure 6A.

[0133] FIG6B exemplarily illustrates a possible efficiency curve diagram of the power amplifier device 1 in FIG6A , where the first power amplifier unit 2 serves as the main power amplifier unit. FIG6B illustrates an example in which the power ratio of the first power amplifier unit, PA31, and PA32 is 1:5:3. As shown in FIG6B , compared to FIG4A , FIG6B generates an additional efficiency peak at a position where the normalized output power Pout is -6 dB in the mid-power region, thereby improving the "efficiency pit" problem in the mid-power region and thereby enhancing the overall performance of the power amplifier device.

[0134] FIG6C exemplarily illustrates a possible efficiency curve diagram of the power amplifier device 1 in the case where PA31 in the second power amplifier unit 3 in FIG6A serves as the main power amplifier unit. FIG6C illustrates an example in which the power ratio of PA31, PA32, and the first power amplifier unit is 1:4:1. As shown in FIG6C , compared to FIG4B , FIG6C generates an additional efficiency peak point at a position where the normalized output power Pout is -4.5 dB in the mid-power region, thereby improving the "efficiency pit" problem in the mid-power region and thereby enhancing the overall performance of the power amplifier device.

[0135] When N2 is equal to 2, the second power amplifier unit 3 can also be regarded as adopting the DHT architecture, which can be more compatible with the existing technology. In the embodiment of the present application, the power ratio of the first power amplifier unit and the N2 sub-power amplifier units can be determined according to the back-off amount corresponding to the set efficiency peak point of the power amplifier. The set efficiency peak point of the power amplifier is the peak point of the medium power region, such as the peak point corresponding to -4.5dB shown in Figure 6C. In this way, the user can set the power ratio of the first power amplifier unit and the N2 sub-power amplifier units according to the back-off amount corresponding to the actual required efficiency peak point, thereby meeting the diverse needs of users.

[0136] FIG6A also illustrates an impedance transformation network within the first power amplifier unit 2 and the second power amplifier unit 3. This impedance transformation network can achieve impedance matching for the primary power amplifier unit in a high-impedance state (low-power region) and reverse the impedance pull of the primary power amplifier unit after the secondary power amplifier unit is turned on. The number and location of the impedance transformation networks shown in FIG6A are merely illustrative; in actual applications, impedance transformation networks can be deployed as needed.

[0137] The solutions shown in Figures 6A, 6B, and 6C can also be applied to the power amplifier device 1 shown in Figures 3B or 3C. In this case, the first power amplifier unit 2 and the second power amplifier unit 3 in Figures 3B or 3C can also be the first power amplifier unit 2 and the second power amplifier unit 3 in Figure 6A. This can generate an additional efficiency peak point in the mid-power region of the power amplifier device 1, thereby improving the "efficiency pit." The relevant content is similar to the above content and will not be repeated here.

[0138] Based on the embodiments shown in Figures 1, 2A, 2B, 3A, 3B, 3C, 4A, 4B, 5A, 5B, 5C, 5D, 6A, 6B, and 6C, and the other contents described above, Figures 7A, 7B, and 7C exemplarily illustrate several possible structural schematic diagrams of one power amplifier unit 10 among the M power amplifier units provided in the embodiments of the present application. The power amplifier unit 10 shown in any one or more of Figures 7A, 7B, and 7C can be a structural schematic diagram of any one or more of the M power amplifier units. For example, any one of Figures 7A, 7B, and 7C can be the first power amplifier unit 2 in Figures 3A, 3B, and 3C, or the second power amplifier unit 3 in Figures 3A, 3B, and 3C.

[0139] As shown in Figure 7A , the power amplifier unit 10 of the power amplifier device 1 may include two sub-amplifier units, each of which includes a power amplifier. The two sub-amplifier units are combined via a combiner. The power amplifier unit architecture shown in Figure 7A can also be viewed as a two-way DHT PA, Sequential PA, or Chireix PA architecture.

[0140] As shown in Figure 7B , the power amplifier unit 10 of the power amplifier device 1 may include three sub-amplifier units, each of which includes a power amplifier, namely PA101, PA102, and PA103. The three sub-amplifier units are combined into one channel via a combiner. For example, the combined channel of PA101 and PA102 is combined with the combined channel of PA103. The power amplifier unit architecture shown in Figure 7B can also be viewed as a multi-channel Doherty PA, Sequential PA, or Chireix PA architecture.

[0141] As shown in FIG7C , the power amplifier unit 10 of the power amplifier device 1 may include two sub-power amplifier units, each of which includes a power amplifier, and the two sub-power amplifier units are combined via a combiner. The power amplifier unit architecture shown in FIG7C can also be viewed as an outphasing PA architecture, in which the two power amplifier branches combined via the combiner can be understood as out-of-phase combining (outphasing).

[0142] In the embodiment of the present application, any one of the M power amplifier units of the power amplifier device 1 may also be an envelope tracking power (ET) PA architecture.

[0143] The power amplifier unit 10 shown in any of Figures 7A, 7B, and 7C can have either a single input or multiple inputs. When the power amplifier unit 10 shown in Figures 7A, 7B, and 7C has a single input, the phase and amplitude of the signal received by each power amplifier in the power amplifier unit 10 are fixed and cannot be adjusted. In this case, the signal decomposition module (such as the first signal decomposition module 9) connected to the power amplifier unit 10 can be a radio frequency analog circuit. When the power amplifier unit 10 shown in Figures 7A, 7B, and 7C has multiple inputs, the phase and amplitude of the signal received by each power amplifier in the power amplifier unit 10 can be flexibly adjustable. In this case, the signal received by the power amplifier unit 10 from the signal decomposition module (such as the first signal decomposition module 9) can be a digital excitation radio frequency signal. The input port of the power amplifier unit 10 shown in Figures 7A, 7B, and 7C can be connected to the output port of the aforementioned first signal decomposition module 9, and the output port of the power amplifier unit 10 can be connected to a port of the circulator unit 4.

[0144] Since one or more of the M power amplifier units can adopt the high-efficiency power amplifier architecture shown in any one of Figures 7A, 7B and 7C above, the power amplifier device 1 can increase the efficiency peak point of the power amplifier device 1, thereby improving the "efficiency pit" problem in the mid-power region, thereby improving the overall performance of the power amplifier device.

[0145] Based on the embodiments shown in Figures 1, 2A, 2B, 3A, 3B, 3C, 4A, 4B, 5A, 5B, 5C, 5D, 6A, 6B, 6C, 7A, 7B, and 7C, and the other contents described above, Figure 7D exemplarily illustrates another possible communication system architecture diagram applicable to the embodiments of the present application. Figure 7D can be regarded as an extended embodiment of the embodiment shown in Figure 3A or Figure 6A.

[0146] Compared to Figure 6A , the first power amplifier unit 2 in Figure 7D includes N1 sub-power amplifier units and a first combiner, where N1 is an integer greater than 1. Each of the N1 sub-power amplifier units may include one or more power amplifiers. Figure 7D illustrates an example where N1 is 2, one sub-power amplifier unit includes PA21, and the other sub-power amplifier unit includes PA22.

[0147] The output ports of the N1 sub-power amplifier units are connected to the input ports of the first combiner 23, and the output port of the first combiner 23 is connected to the first port 41 of the circulator unit 4. The N1 sub-power amplifier units are configured to amplify the received signals and input the amplified signals to the first combiner 23. The first combiner 23 is configured to input the signals received from the N1 sub-power amplifier units into the first port 41. As shown in FIG7D , the first combiner 23 may include one or more impedance transformation networks (e.g., a quarter-wavelength impedance transformation network).

[0148] Because the first power amplifier unit includes multiple sub-power amplifier units, an additional efficiency peak point can be generated in the mid-power region, thereby improving the "efficiency pit." The solution shown in Figure 7D can also be applied to the power amplifier device 1 shown in Figure 3B or Figure 3C. In this case, the first power amplifier unit 2 and the second power amplifier unit 3 in Figure 3B or Figure 3C can also be the first power amplifier unit 2 and the second power amplifier unit 3 in Figure 7D. This can generate an additional efficiency peak point in the mid-power region of the power amplifier device 1, thereby improving the "efficiency pit." The relevant content is similar to the above content and will not be repeated here.

[0149] Based on the embodiments shown in Figures 1, 2A, 2B, 3A, 3B, 3C, 4A, 4B, 5A, 5B, 5C, 5D, 6A, 6B, 6C, 7A, 7B, 7C, and 7D, as well as the other contents described above, Figures 8A, 8B, and 8C exemplarily illustrate several possible structural diagrams of the circulator unit 4 in the embodiments of the present application. Figures 8A, 8B, and 8C are illustrated using the circulator unit 4 in the power amplifier device 1 shown in Figure 3A as an example. The embodiments involved in Figures 8A, 8B, and 8C are also applicable to the embodiments shown in Figure 3B or 3C.

[0150] As shown in FIG8A , the circulator unit 4 may include a circulator (the circulator may be referred to as a first circulator), and the circulator includes M+2 ports, wherein the M ports may be connected to the M power amplifier units in a one-to-one correspondence. For example, one of the M ports is connected to one of the M power amplifier units, and one of the M power amplifier units is connected to one of the M ports. In one possible embodiment, M is an integer greater than 2, and the circulator unit further includes (M-2) ports connected to (M-2) power amplifier units other than the first power amplifier unit and the second power amplifier unit of the M power amplifier units. FIG8A exemplarily shows M ports 45, wherein the first port 41 includes M ports along the signal transmission direction in the circulator unit 4 to the M port 45. The third port 43 is located behind the M port 45, and the fourth port 44 is located behind the third port 43. In this way, the signal received by the first port 41 to the M port 45 can be transmitted to the third port. The signal from the antenna received by the third port can also be transmitted to the fourth port 44.

[0151] As shown in FIG8B , the circulator unit 4 may also include multiple circulators, such as circulator 46 and circulator 47 (circulator 46 may also be referred to as the first circulator, and circulator 47 may also be referred to as the second circulator). Circulator 46 is a three-port circulator. Circulator 46 includes a first port 41, a port 461, and a fourth port 44. Circulator 47 includes a port 471, a second port 42, a port 472, and so on, and M ports 45. Circulator 47 includes a total of (M-1) ports from the second port 42 along the signal transmission direction in circulator 47 to the M ports 45. These (M-1) ports plus the first port 41 make a total of M ports. These M ports can be connected one-to-one with the M power amplifier units. For example, one of the M ports is connected to one of the M power amplifier units, and one of the M power amplifier units is connected to one of the M ports. In addition, port 461 of circulator 46 is connected to port 471. In this way, the signal received by the first port 41 can be transmitted to the port 471 via the port 461. Furthermore, the signals received by the port 471, the second port 42, and the port 472 to the M-port 45 in the circulator 47 can be transmitted to the third port. The signal from the antenna received by the third port can also be transmitted to the port 461 via the port 471, and then to the fourth port 44.

[0152] As shown in FIG8C , the circulator unit 4 may also include more than two circulators, for example, the circulator unit 4 includes a circulator 46, a circulator 48, and a circulator 49. Circulators 46 and 48 are three-port circulators. Circulator 46 includes a first port 41, a port 461, and a fourth port 44. Circulator 48 includes a port 481, a second port 42, and a port 482. Circulator 49 includes a port 491, a port 492, a port 493, and M ports 45. Circulator 49 includes a total of (M-2) ports from port 492 along the signal transmission direction in circulator 49 to M ports 45. The (M-2) ports plus the first port 41 and the second port 42 make a total of M ports, and the M ports can be connected to the M power amplifier units in a one-to-one correspondence. For example, one of the M ports is connected to one of the M power amplifier units, and one of the M power amplifier units is connected to one of the M ports. In addition, port 461 of the circulator 46 is connected to port 481, and port 482 is connected to port 491. In this way, the signal received by the first port 41 can be transmitted to port 481 through port 461, and then, in the circulator 48, the signals received by port 481 and the second port 42 can be transmitted to port 491 through port 482. In the circulator 49, the signals received by ports 491, 492, 493 to M ports 45 can be transmitted to the third port. The signal from the antenna received by the third port can also be transmitted to port 482 through port 491, further transmitted to port 461 through port 481, and then transmitted to the fourth port 44.

[0153] Referring to FIG8C , in one possible embodiment, the M power amplifier units connected to the M ports of the circulator unit 4 are connected to the first signal decomposition unit 9. Along the signal transmission direction of the circulator unit 4, the first power amplifier unit 2 connected to the first port 41 can load modulate the second power amplifier unit 3 connected to the second port 42. It can also load modulate the power amplifier units connected to port 492, the power amplifier unit connected to port 493, and so on, up to the power amplifier unit connected to port 45. Similarly, the second power amplifier unit 3 connected to the second port 42 can load modulate the power amplifier units connected to port 492, the power amplifier unit connected to port 493, and so on, up to the power amplifier unit connected to port 45. In other words, along the signal transmission direction of the circulator unit 4, the leading power amplifier unit can load modulate all the power amplifier units behind it. This creates multiple efficiency peaks, thereby improving the "efficiency pit" problem in the mid-power region and enhancing the overall performance of the power amplifier device.

[0154] In the embodiment of the present application, the circulator unit 4 may further include a larger number of circulators, such as 5, 6, or more. The circulator unit 4 may output signals from M ports connected to M power amplifier units through a third port. In another possible embodiment, the circulator unit may further output signals from an antenna received through the third port through a fourth port. The specific configuration of the multiple circulators in the circulator unit 4 may be flexibly configured according to the actual application scenario.

[0155] Based on the embodiments shown in Figures 1, 2A, 2B, 3A, 3B, 3C, 4A, 4B, 5A, 5B, 5C, 5D, 6A, 6B, 6C, 7A, 7B, 7C, 7D, 8A, 8B, and 8C, and the other contents described above, Figures 9A, 9B, and 9C exemplarily illustrate the architecture diagrams of several communication systems applicable to the embodiments of the present application. Figures 9A, 9B, and 9C illustrate examples where M is greater than 2. Figure 9A can be considered an extended implementation of the embodiment shown in Figure 3A, Figure 9B can be considered an extended implementation of the embodiment shown in Figure 3B, and Figure 9C can be considered an extended implementation of the embodiment shown in Figure 3C. As shown in Figures 9A, 9B, and 9C, M power amplifier units can be respectively connected to the M ports of the circulator unit. The input ends of the M power amplifier units can be respectively connected to the first signal decomposition module 9. The circulator unit 4 in Figures 9A, 9B, and 9C can output signals from M ports connected to M power amplifier units through a third port. In Figure 9A, the circulator unit can also output signals from the antenna received through the third port through a fourth port. Because the power amplifier device 1 can include a large number of power amplifier units, it can generate more efficiency peaks, thereby improving the "efficiency pit" problem and enhancing the overall performance of the power amplifier device 1.

[0156] Any of the M power amplifier units shown in Figures 9A, 9B, and 9C can be replaced with other high-efficiency power amplifier architectures, such as any of those shown in Figures 7A, 7B, or 7C. The input signal of any power amplifier unit can also be in single-input mode or multi-input mode. Any of the circulator units 4 in Figures 9A, 9B, and 9C can also be any of the circulator units shown in Figures 8A, 8B, and 8C.

[0157] Based on the embodiments shown in Figures 1 and 2A and the other contents described above, Figure 10 exemplarily shows a possible structural diagram of another power amplifier device 1 provided in an embodiment of the present application. The power amplifier device 1 shown in Figure 10 may be the power amplifier device 1 shown in Figure 2A above.

[0158] As shown in FIG10 , the power amplifier device 1 includes M power amplifier units and a circulator unit 4, and the M power amplifier units are connected to the circulator unit 4. M is an integer greater than 1, and M can be 2 or greater than 2. FIG10 illustrates an example in which the M power amplifier units include a first power amplifier unit 2 and a second power amplifier unit 3.

[0159] 10 , the circulator unit 4 includes a first port 41, a second port 42, a third port 43, and a fourth port 44. The output port of the second power amplifier unit 3 is connected to the second port 42. The fourth port 44 of the circulator unit 4 is selectively connected to the load 7 or the third power amplifier unit 8 via the first switch 6.

[0160] The output port of the first power amplifier unit 2 is selectively connected to the first port 41 of the circulator unit 4 or the input port of the second power amplifier unit 3 through the second switch 12 .

[0161] It can also be understood that, compared with the solution of the aforementioned Figure 3A, the difference of Figure 10 is that the first power amplifier unit 2 in Figure 10 is not directly connected to the first port 41 of the circulator unit 4, but is connected to the first port 41 and the input port of the second power amplifier unit 3 through the second switch.

[0162] Since the second switch 12 is added between the first power amplifier unit 2 and the second power amplifier unit 3, when the first power amplifier unit 2 is connected to the second power amplifier unit 3 via the second switch, the signal can be amplified by the first power amplifier unit 2 before entering the second power amplifier unit 3 for further amplification by the second power amplifier unit 3. Since the signal can be amplified by the first power amplifier unit 2 and the second power amplifier unit 3, the back-off amount of the power amplifier device 1 can be increased, and the back-off efficiency can be improved.

[0163] It is worth noting that the embodiment shown in FIG10 can be used in combination with the aforementioned embodiments. For example, any power amplifier unit in FIG10 can include one or more power amplifiers. For example, any power amplifier unit in the power amplifier device 1 in FIG10 can be any power amplifier unit in FIG7A, FIG7B, or FIG7C. For another example, the circulator unit 4 in FIG10 can include one or more circulators. For example, the circulator unit 4 in FIG10 can be any circulator unit in FIG8A, FIG8B, or FIG8C.

[0164] Based on the embodiments shown in Figures 1, 2A, and 10, and the other contents described above, Figure 11 exemplarily illustrates a possible structural diagram of another power amplifier device 1 provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 11 can be considered an extended embodiment of Figure 10. As shown in Figure 11, the power amplifier device 1 may include a control unit 14 connected to the second switch 12.

[0165] In one possible implementation, the control unit 14 is configured to control the output port of the first power amplifier unit 2 to be connected to the first port 41 via the second switch when the power of the power amplifier device is less than the first power value. The control unit 14 is further configured to control the output port of the first power amplifier unit 2 to be connected to the input port of the second power amplifier unit 3 via the second switch when the power of the power amplifier device is not less than the first power value.

[0166] When the power amplifier device 1 operates at low power, the second switch 12 is switched to the first port 41, and the second power amplifier unit 3 is in the off state. At this time, the RF signal is directly driven and amplified by the first power amplifier unit 2, then enters the circulator unit 4, and is output through the third port 43. When the power amplifier device 1 operates at high power, the second switch 12 is switched from the first port 41 to the second power amplifier unit 3. At this time, the RF signal is directly driven and amplified by the first power amplifier unit 2, then further amplified by the second power amplifier unit 3, then enters the circulator unit 4, and is output through the third port 43. This increases the back-off amount of the power amplifier device 1 and improves the back-off efficiency.

[0167] It should be understood that the control unit 14 may be a processor or a processing circuit. The processor may be a chip. For example, the processor may be a field programmable gate array (FPGA), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a system on chip (SoC), a central processor unit (CPU), a network processor (NP), a digital signal processor (DSP), a microcontroller unit (MCU), a programmable logic device (PLD), or other integrated chips.

[0168] The embodiment shown in FIG10 or FIG11 can be used in combination with any one or more of the embodiments shown in FIG2A, FIG7A, FIG7B, FIG7C, FIG8A, FIG8B, and FIG8C. For example, any power amplifier unit in the power amplifier device 1 shown in FIG10 or FIG11 can be any power amplifier unit shown in FIG7A, FIG7B, or FIG7C, and the circulator unit 4 shown in FIG10 or FIG11 can be any circulator unit 4 shown in FIG8A, FIG8B, and FIG8C. Based on FIG1, FIG2A, FIG7A, FIG7B, FIG7C, FIG10, and FIG11, as well as the other contents described above, FIG12A exemplarily illustrates a schematic structural diagram of another possible power amplifier device 1 provided by an embodiment of the present application. FIG12A exemplarily illustrates an example of combining the embodiment shown in FIG10 with the embodiment shown in FIG7A, FIG7B, or FIG7C.

[0169] Compared with FIG. 10 , FIG. 12A differs in that the first power amplifier unit 2 adopts the architecture of the power amplifier unit shown in FIG. 7A , and the second power amplifier unit 3 adopts the architecture of the power amplifier unit shown in FIG. 7B .

[0170] As shown in FIG12A , the power amplification device 1 includes a second signal decomposition module 13. The output port of the second signal decomposition module 13 is connected to the input port of the first power amplifier unit 2. The second signal decomposition module 13 is configured to separate the received RF signal into K1 signals and input the signals in the K1 signals into the input ports of K1 sub-power amplifier units of the first power amplifier unit 2, where K1 is an integer greater than 1. FIG12A illustrates an example in which the value of K1 is 2.

[0171] The power amplification device 1 includes a third signal decomposition module 14. The output port of the first power amplifier unit 2 is selectively connected to the first port 41 or the input port of the third signal decomposition module 14 via a second switch. The output port of the third signal decomposition module 14 is connected to the input port of the second power amplifier unit 3.

[0172] In one possible implementation, the third signal decomposition module 14 is configured to divide the received RF signal into K2 signal paths, and input the signals in the K2 signal paths into the input ports of the K2 sub-power amplifier units of the second power amplifier unit 3, where K2 is an integer greater than 1. FIG12A illustrates an example where the value of K2 is 3. The output port of the second power amplifier unit 3 is connected to the second port 42.

[0173] It can be seen that any power amplifier unit in the scheme shown in Figure 12A can adopt any more efficient power amplifier unit in Figure 7A, Figure 7B or Figure 7C above. In this way, the back-off amount of the power amplifier device 1 can be further increased and the back-off efficiency can be improved.

[0174] Figure 12B illustrates a possible efficiency curve diagram for the power amplifier device 1 in Figure 12A. As can be seen from Figure 12B, by configuring the second switch and integrating a high-efficiency power amplifier architecture within the first and second power amplifier units, the back-off amount of the power amplifier device can be further increased, and the back-off efficiency can also be improved. Furthermore, more peak points can be added in the mid-power region, thereby improving the "efficiency pit" problem.

[0175] Based on Figures 1, 2A, 7A, 7B, 7C, 10, 11, 12A, and 12B, as well as the other contents described above, Figure 13 exemplarily illustrates a schematic structural diagram of another possible power amplifier device 1 provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 13 can be considered an extended embodiment of Figure 10 , in which M power amplifier units including a first power amplifier unit and a second power amplifier unit are used as an example. Compared with Figure 10 , Figure 13 exemplarily illustrates a schematic structural diagram of a power amplifier device 1 including M power amplifier units.

[0176] As shown in Figure 13, the power amplification device may include a third signal decomposition module 14. The output port of the first power amplifier unit 2 is selectively connected to the first port 41 or the input port of the third signal decomposition module 14 through a second switch. The output port of the third signal decomposition module 14 is connected to the input ports of (M-1) power amplifier units other than the first power amplifier unit 2 among the M power amplifier units. The circulator unit 4 also includes M ports connected to the M power amplifier units. Among the M ports of the circulator unit 4, the remaining (M-1) ports other than the first port are respectively connected to the output ports of (M-1) power amplifier units other than the first power amplifier unit 2 among the M power amplifier units. When the circulator unit 4 receives a signal through a port among the M ports, it can transmit the signal of the port along the signal transmission direction of the circulator unit 4 and output it through the third port. The circulator unit can also realize the function of outputting the signal from the antenna received through the third port through the fourth port.

[0177] The embodiment shown in FIG13 can be used in combination with the above-mentioned embodiments. For example, any power amplifier unit in FIG13 may include one or more power amplifiers. For example, any power amplifier unit in the power amplifier device 1 in FIG13 may be any power amplifier unit in FIG7A, FIG7B, or FIG7C. For another example, the circulator unit 4 in FIG13 may include one or more circulators. For example, the circulator unit 4 in FIG13 may be any circulator unit in FIG8A, FIG8B, or FIG8C.

[0178] Based on Figures 1, 2A, 7A, 7B, 7C, 10, 11, 12A, 12B, and 13, as well as the other contents described above, Figures 14A and 14B exemplarily illustrate several possible structural diagrams of the power amplifier device 1 provided in an embodiment of the present application. The power amplifier device 1 shown in Figures 14A and 14B may be the power amplifier device 1 shown in Figure 2B above. As can be seen from Figure 2B, the power amplifier device 1 provided in an embodiment of the present application may not need to have the function of switching between the RF transmit channel and the RF receive channel. Therefore, compared with Figure 10 above, the fourth port 44 of the circulator unit 4 in Figure 14A can be directly connected to the load 7, and the first switch 6 does not need to be provided in the power amplifier device 1. Compared with Figure 3A above, the circulator unit 4 in Figure 14B may not include the fourth port 44, and thus the power amplifier device does not need to include the first switch 6 and the load 7 connected to the fourth port 44. The rest of the relevant contents of Figures 14A and 14B are similar to the relevant descriptions in the aforementioned Figure 10 and will not be repeated here.

[0179] According to the above content, an embodiment of the present application provides a remote radio unit (RRU), which may include any one of the power amplification devices in the embodiments shown in Figures 3A, 3B, 3C, 5A, 6A, 7A, 7B, 7C, 7D, 8A, 8B, 8C, 9A, 9B, 9C, 10, 11, 12A, 13, 14A and 14B.

[0180] According to the above content, an embodiment of the present application provides a base station, including any one of the power amplification devices in the embodiments shown in Figures 3A, 3B, 3C, 5A, 6A, 7A, 7B, 7C, 7D, 8A, 8B, 8C, 9A, 9B, 9C, 10, 11, 12A, 13, 14A and 14B.

[0181] According to the above content, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication system, including a baseband processing unit; at least one power amplifier device connected to the baseband processing unit, such as any one of the embodiments shown in Figures 3A, 3B, 3C, 5A, 6A, 7A, 7B, 7C, 7D, 8A, 8B, 8C, 9A, 9B, 9C, 10, 11, 12A, 13, 14A and 14B; and an antenna connected to the third port of the circulator unit in the power amplifier device.

[0182] It should be noted that the connection involved in this application, which describes the connection relationship between two objects, can represent two types of connection relationships. For example, the connection between A and B can represent two situations: A is directly connected to B, and A is connected to B through C. In addition, it should be understood that in the description of this application, words such as "first" and "second" are only used to distinguish the purpose of description, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance, nor can they be understood as indicating or implying order. In addition, the system structure and business scenarios provided in the embodiments of the present application are mainly for explaining some possible implementation methods of the technical solution of the present application, and should not be interpreted as a unique limitation on the technical solution of the present application. Those of ordinary skill in the art will know that with the evolution of the system and the emergence of newer business scenarios, the technical solution provided in this application can still be applicable to the same or similar technical problems.

[0183] Obviously, those skilled in the art may make various modifications and variations to this application without departing from the scope of protection of this application. Thus, if these modifications and variations of this application fall within the scope of the claims of this application and their equivalents, this application is intended to include these modifications and variations.

Claims

1. A power amplifier device, characterized in that: comprising M power amplifier units and a circulator unit connected to the M power amplifier units, wherein M is an integer greater than 1; The M power amplifier units include a first power amplifier unit and a second power amplifier unit; The output port of the first power amplifier unit is connected to the first port of the circulator unit; The output port of the second power amplifier unit is connected to the second port of the circulator unit; The circulator unit further includes a third port and a fourth port, wherein the fourth port is selectively connected to a load or a third power amplifier unit through a first switch; When the fourth port is connected to the load through the first switch, the circulator unit is configured to output a signal received through the first port through the second port and the third port, and output a signal received through the second port through the third port; In a case where the fourth port is connected to the third power amplifier unit through the first switch, the circulator unit is configured to output a signal received through the third port to the third power amplifier unit through the fourth port.

2. The power amplifier device according to claim 1, wherein: The third port of the circulator unit is connected to an antenna.

3. The power amplifier device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The first power amplifier unit is a main power amplifier unit, and the second power amplifier unit is an auxiliary power amplifier unit; or, The first power amplifier unit is an auxiliary power amplifier unit, and the second power amplifier unit is a main power amplifier unit.

4. The power amplifier device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: Also included is a first signal decomposition module; The output port of the first signal decomposition module is connected to the input port of the first power amplifier unit and the input port of the second power amplifier unit respectively; The first signal decomposition module is configured to obtain at least two signals according to the received radio frequency signal, and input signals of the at least two signals to the first power amplifier unit and the second power amplifier unit respectively.

5. The power amplifier device according to claim 4, wherein: The first signal decomposition module is used to control the amplitude and / or phase of the two signals input to the first power amplifier unit and the second power amplifier unit.

6. The power amplifier device according to claim 5, wherein: The first power amplifier unit is a main power amplifier, and the second power amplifier unit is an auxiliary power amplifier; The first signal decomposition module is specifically configured to: After the second power amplifier unit is turned on: controlling the current value of the signal input to the second power amplifier unit to increase as the output power of the power amplifier device increases; The value of the current of the signal input to the first power amplifier unit is controlled to decrease as the output power of the power amplifier device increases, and when the value of the current of the signal input to the first power amplifier unit is less than a preset first current value, the phase of the current of the signal input to the first power amplifier unit is controlled to flip 180 degrees, and the value of the current of the signal input to the first power amplifier unit is controlled to increase as the output power of the power amplifier device increases.

7. The power amplifier device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein: The first power amplifier unit includes N1 sub-power amplifier units and a first combiner, where N1 is an integer greater than 1; The output ports of the N1 sub-power amplifier units are connected to the input port of the first combiner, and the output port of the first combiner is connected to the first port of the circulator unit.

8. The power amplifier device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein: The second power amplifier unit includes N2 sub-power amplifier units and a second combiner, where N2 is an integer greater than 1; The output ports of the N2 sub-power amplifier units are connected to the input port of the second combiner, and the output port of the second combiner is connected to the second port of the circulator unit.

9. The power amplifier device according to claim 8, wherein: The power ratio between the first power amplifier unit and the N2 sub-power amplifier units is determined according to a set back-off amount corresponding to a peak efficiency point of the power amplifier device.

10. The power amplifier device according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that: The N2 is 2.

11. The power amplifier device according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein: The circulator unit includes a first circulator; the first circulator includes M ports connected to the M power amplifier units, the third port and the fourth port; or, The circulator unit includes a plurality of circulators; the M ports connected to the M power amplifier units, the third port, and the fourth port are disposed on the plurality of circulators.

12. A power amplifier device, characterized in that: comprising M power amplifier units and a circulator unit connected to the M power amplifier units, wherein M is an integer greater than 1; The M power amplifier units include a first power amplifier unit and a second power amplifier unit; The output port of the first power amplifier unit is selectively connected to the first port of the circulator unit or the input port of the second power amplifier unit through a second switch; The output port of the second power amplifier unit is connected to the second port of the circulator unit; The circulator unit further includes a third port; The circulator unit is configured to output the signal received through the first port through the second port and the third port when a signal is received through the first port, and output the signal received through the second port through the third port when a signal is received through the second port; The circulator unit further includes a fourth port, wherein the fourth port is selectively connected to a load or a third power amplifier unit through a first switch; When the fourth port is connected to the load through the first switch, the circulator unit is configured to output the signal received through the first port through the second port and the third port when a signal is received through the first port, and output the signal received through the second port through the third port when a signal is received through the second port; In a case where the fourth port is connected to the third power amplifier unit through the first switch, the circulator unit is configured to output a signal received through the third port to the third power amplifier unit through the fourth port.

13. The power amplifier device according to claim 12, wherein: Also included is a control unit; The control unit is connected to the second switch; The control unit is configured to control the output port of the first power amplifier unit to be connected to the first port through the second switch when the power of the power amplifier device is less than a first power value.

14. The power amplifier device according to claim 12 or 13, wherein: The control unit is further configured to: when the power of the power amplifying device is not less than a first power value, control the output port of the first power amplifying unit to be connected to the input port of the second power amplifying unit through the second switch.

15. The power amplifying device according to any one of claims 12 to 14, wherein: The power amplification device further includes a second signal decomposition module; The output port of the second signal decomposition module is connected to the input port of the first power amplifier unit; the second signal decomposition module is used to divide the received RF signal into K1 signals, and input the signals in the K1 signals into the input ports of K1 sub-power amplifier units of the first power amplifier unit, where K1 is an integer greater than 1.

16. The power amplifying device according to any one of claims 12 to 15, wherein: The power amplification device further includes a third signal decomposition module; The output port of the first power amplifier unit is selectively connected to the first port or the input port of the third signal decomposition module through the second switch; The output port of the third signal decomposition module is connected to the input port of the second power amplifier unit.

17. The power amplifier device according to claim 16, wherein: The M is an integer greater than 2, and the M power amplifier units further include (M-2) power amplifier units other than the first power amplifier unit and the second power amplifier unit; The output port of the third signal decomposition module is also connected to the input ports of the (M-2) power amplifier units; The circulator unit further includes (M-2) ports connected to the (M-2) power amplifier units.

18. A radio remote unit (RRU), characterized in that: The power amplifier device comprises the power amplifier device according to any one of claims 1 to 11, or the power amplifier device according to any one of claims 12 to 17.

19. A base station, characterized in that: The power amplifier device comprises the power amplifier device according to any one of claims 1 to 11, or the power amplifier device according to any one of claims 12 to 17.

20. A communication system, characterized in that: include: Baseband processing unit; At least one power amplifying device according to any one of claims 1 to 11 connected to the baseband processing unit, or at least one power amplifying device according to any one of claims 12 to 17 connected to the baseband processing unit; An antenna connected to the third port of the circulator unit in the power amplification device.

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