Impedance regulator, power amplification device and power amplification method of radio frequency signal

Abstract

The invention discloses an impedance regulator, a power amplification device and a radio frequency signal power amplification method, and belongs to the technical field of communication. The impedance regulator comprises a gyromagnetic circulator and a control power amplifier, and the control power amplifier is used for inputting a control radio frequency signal to a first port of the gyromagnetic circulator; the gyromagnetic circulator is used for carrying out one-way load traction on a first impedance of a second port of the gyromagnetic circulator through the control radio frequency signal so as to adjust the resistance value of the first impedance, and the second port is an input port of the gyromagnetic circulator.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application belongs to the field of communication technology, and specifically relates to an impedance regulator, a power amplifier device and a power amplification method of a radio frequency signal. Background Art

[0002] In the related art, since the Doherty power amplifier has the advantages of simple structure and high efficiency, the power amplifier module in the communication base station, the power amplifier, generally adopts the Doherty architecture in design.

[0003] In the related art, the Doherty architecture generally adopts a microstrip combiner line at the combiner output of the power amplifier to achieve impedance transformation, and the load impedance adjustable range is small and the matching efficiency is low. Therefore, how to provide an impedance adjuster with high matching efficiency for the power amplifier is a technical problem that needs to be solved at present. Summary of the invention

[0004] The purpose of the embodiments of the present application is to provide an impedance adjuster, a power amplifier device and a power amplification method of a radio frequency signal, which can provide an impedance adjuster with high matching efficiency for the power amplifier.

[0005] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides an impedance regulator, comprising: a gyromagnetic circulator and a control power amplifier, wherein the control power amplifier is used to input a control radio frequency signal to a first port of the gyromagnetic circulator; the gyromagnetic circulator is used to perform unidirectional load pulling on a first impedance of a second port of the gyromagnetic circulator through the control radio frequency signal to adjust the resistance value of the first impedance, wherein the second port is the input port of the gyromagnetic circulator.

[0006] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a power amplifier device, comprising: a power amplifier module; an impedance adjuster as described in the first aspect, wherein the second port of the gyromagnetic circulator of the impedance adjuster is connected to the output end of the power amplifier module, and is used to adjust the operating frequency of the power amplifier module by adjusting the resistance value of the first impedance of the second port.

[0007] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a method for power amplification of a radio frequency signal, which is applied to the power amplifier device described in the second aspect, and the method includes: for a target operating frequency and a target output power, adjusting the impedance of the second port by inputting a control radio frequency signal at the first port of the gyromagnetic circulator of the power amplifier device, wherein the properties of the control radio frequency signal correspond to the target operating frequency and the target output power; power amplifying the input first radio frequency signal by the power amplifier module of the power amplifier device, and inputting the amplified second radio frequency signal into the second port of the gyromagnetic circulator; combining the second radio frequency signal with the control power amplifier signal to obtain a third radio frequency signal; and outputting the third radio frequency signal through the third port of the gyromagnetic circulator.

[0008] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a base station, comprising the power amplifier device described in the second aspect above.

[0009] In an embodiment of the present application, the impedance regulator can perform unidirectional load pulling on the first impedance of the input port of the gyromagnetic circulator by controlling the RF signal input by the power amplifier to adjust the resistance value of the first impedance, so that the first impedance of the input port of the gyromagnetic circulator can be quickly adjusted by adjusting the properties of the input RF signal, thereby improving the matching efficiency when the impedance regulator is used to connect to the output end of the power amplifier module. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of a two-way Doherty power amplifier circuit in the related art;

[0011] Figure 2 is a structural schematic diagram of an impedance adjuster provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0012] Figure 3 is a schematic structural diagram of another impedance adjuster provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0013] Figure 4 is a structural schematic diagram of a power amplifier device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0014] Figure 5 is a structural schematic diagram of another power amplifier device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0015] Figure 6 It is a flow chart of a method for power amplification of a radio frequency signal provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0016] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the present application, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0017] The terms "first", "second", etc. in the specification and claims of the present application are used to distinguish similar objects, and are not used to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that the data used in this way can be interchangeable under appropriate circumstances, so that the embodiments of the present application can be implemented in an order other than those illustrated or described here, and the objects distinguished by "first", "second", etc. are generally of one type, and the number of objects is not limited. For example, the first object can be one or more. In addition, "and / or" in the specification and claims represents at least one of the connected objects, and the character " / " generally indicates that the objects associated with each other are in an "or" relationship.

[0018] Figure 1 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a two-way Doherty amplifier circuit in the related art. Figure 1 As shown, the two-way Doherty power dissipation circuit in the related art is composed of two to multiple power amplifier tubes, which are divided into a main power amplifier (Main circuit) and a peak power amplifier (Peak circuit). The main power amplifier and the peak power amplifier work in different working states respectively, and the efficiency is improved through impedance modulation technology. The output of the two power amplifiers is output after being combined and matched.

[0019] With the co-construction and sharing of base stations by operators, higher requirements are put forward for the working bandwidth of base station power amplifiers. The working characteristics of the traditional Doherty architecture also determine that its working bandwidth is limited, so this architecture can only be used for narrowband power amplifier design. Therefore, the traditional Doherty power amplifier design method can no longer meet the bandwidth requirements, and improvement measures need to be taken to increase the working bandwidth. In response to this problem, the embodiments of the present application provide an impedance regulator, a power amplifier device, and a power amplification method for radio frequency signals.

[0020] The technical solution provided by the embodiment of the present application is described in detail below through specific embodiments and their application scenarios in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0021] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the structure of an impedance adjuster provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0022] like Figure 2As shown, the impedance adjuster 200 provided in the embodiment of the present application mainly includes: a gyromagnetic circulator 210 and a control power amplifier 220, wherein the control power amplifier 220 is used to input a control RF signal to the first port 211 of the gyromagnetic circulator 210; the gyromagnetic circulator 220 is used to perform unidirectional load pulling on the first impedance of the second port 212 of the gyromagnetic circulator 210 through the control RF signal to adjust the resistance value of the first impedance, wherein the second port 212 is the input port of the gyromagnetic circulator.

[0023] By using the impedance adjuster provided in the embodiment of the present application to control the RF signal input to the power amplifier, the first impedance of the input port 212 of the gyromagnetic circulator 210 can be unidirectionally load-pulled to adjust the resistance value of the first impedance, so that the first impedance of the input port of the gyromagnetic circulator can be quickly adjusted by adjusting the properties of the input RF signal, thereby improving the matching efficiency when the impedance adjuster is connected to the output end of the power amplifier module.

[0024] In the embodiment of the present application, the first impedance of the second port 212 of the gyromagnetic circulator 210 is related to the property of the RF signal input by the control amplifier 220. Different properties of the RF signal correspond to different resistance values ​​of the first impedance. In actual use, the correspondence between the property of the RF signal and the resistance value of the first impedance can be obtained through testing, so that in the working state of the impedance regulator, according to the required resistance value of the first impedance, the power amplifier 220 can be controlled to input the RF signal of the corresponding property.

[0025] In one implementation, the control power amplifier 220 is further configured to obtain the control RF signal by amplifying the power of the input RF signal. Figure 2 As shown, the control power amplifier 220 can amplify the power of the input RF signal (ie, RF Input_1), thereby obtaining a control RF signal input to the gyromagnetic circulator 120: 1 e jθ1 , will I 1 e jθ1 The first port 211 of the gyromagnetic circulator 210 is inputted to ensure unidirectional load pulling of the first impedance.

[0026] In one implementation, the gyromagnetic circulator 210 is further configured to combine the control RF signal with the first RF signal input from the second port 212, and output the combined first RF signal from the third port 213 of the gyromagnetic circulator 210. Figure 2 As shown, the gyromagnetic circulator 210 can convert the input control RF signal I 1 e jθ1 The RF signal I inputted from the second port 212 2 ejθ2 The RF output is obtained by combining, and then the RF output is output from the third port 213. Through this implementation, after the impedance adjuster is connected to the power amplifier module, the RF signal output by the power amplifier module and the control RF signal input by the control power amplifier 220 can be combined and output, thereby obtaining a power-amplified RF signal.

[0027] In one implementation, the value of the second impedance of the first port 211 is fixed. In this implementation, when the impedance adjuster 200 is connected to the output end of the power amplifier module, the load impedance of the power amplifier 220 controlled by the impedance adjuster remains constant, which is the impedance of the first port 211 of the gyromagnetic circulator 210. The load impedance of the power amplifier module can be adjusted by controlling the amplitude and phase of the RF signal output by the power amplifier 220, so that each frequency point in the working frequency band can be independently configured with appropriate traction, thereby improving the broadband performance of the power amplifier module.

[0028] In the embodiment of the present application, in one implementation, as Figure 2 As shown, the rotation direction of the gyromagnetic ring 210 can be clockwise. In another implementation, as Figure 3 As shown, the rotation direction of the gyromagnetic circulator 210 can be counterclockwise.

[0029] In one implementation, the control power amplifier 220 may include multiple power amplifiers connected in parallel, wherein each power amplifier may include one power amplifier or multiple power amplifiers. Multiple power amplifiers on the same channel may be connected in parallel or in series, or partially in series and partially in parallel. The specific connection method may be determined based on actual applications and is not limited in this application.

[0030] In addition, it should be noted that in the embodiment of the present application, the gyromagnetic properties of ferrite materials can be used to cooperate with the control amplifier 220 to achieve a unidirectional load pulling function. However, it is not limited to this, and other materials and devices with gyromagnetic properties can also achieve the same function, which is also within the scope of protection requested by the present application.

[0031] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the structure of a power amplifier device provided in an embodiment of the present application is shown. Figure 4 As shown, the power amplifier device mainly includes: a power amplifier module 300 and an impedance adjuster 200.

[0032] In the embodiment of the present application, the second port 212 of the gyromagnetic circulator 210 of the impedance regulator 200 is connected to the output end of the power amplifier module 300, and is used to adjust the operating frequency of the power amplifier module 300 by adjusting the resistance value of the first impedance of the second port 212.

[0033] The impedance adjuster 200 in the embodiment of the present application can be Figure 2 or Figure 3 For details of the impedance adjuster 200 shown, please refer to the above description of the impedance adjuster 200 , which will not be repeated here.

[0034] By adopting the technical solution provided in the embodiment of the present application, a radio frequency signal of corresponding properties can be input into the control power amplifier 220 of the impedance regulator 200 according to the load impedance corresponding to the operating frequency of the power amplifier module 300 to adjust the resistance value of the first impedance of the second port 212 of the gyromagnetic circulator 210, that is, adjust the load resistance value of the power amplifier module 300, so as to adjust the working performance of the power amplifier device, for example, power amplification efficiency, gain and working bandwidth, etc., and provide an impedance regulator with high matching efficiency for the power amplifier module.

[0035] In the embodiment of the present application, the power amplifier module 300 may optionally include a Doherty power amplifier circuit. Figure 4 In the embodiment, the power amplifier module 300 may include two-channel Doherty power amplifiers.

[0036] In the embodiment of the present application, in one implementation, as Figure 4 As shown, the rotation direction of the gyromagnetic circulator 210 can be clockwise. The gyromagnetic circulator 210 converts the RF signal I input from the first port 211 into 1 e jθ1 The radio frequency signal I input from the second port 212 of the power amplifier module 300 2 e jθ2 After the combination, the signals are output from the third port 213 .

[0037] In another implementation, Figure 5 As shown, the rotation direction of the gyromagnetic circulator 210 can also be counterclockwise. The gyromagnetic circulator 210 receives the RF signal I input from the first port 211. 1 e jθ1 The radio frequency signal I input from the second port 212 of the power amplifier module 300 2 e jθ2 After the combination, the signals are output from the third port 213 .

[0038] When the power amplifier device provided in the embodiment of the present application is working, Figure 4 As shown in FIG. 5 , no matter how the amplitude and phase of the input signals RF Input_1 and RF Input_2 change, the load impedance Zload1 of the power amplifier 220 is controlled to be constant. The load impedance Zload2 of the power amplifier module 300 is affected by the input current ratio I between the second port 212 and the first port 211. 2 / I 1 and phase difference θ 2 -θ1 Therefore, the load impedance of the power amplifier module 300 can be adjusted by flexibly adjusting the amplitude and phase of the signal input to the power amplifier 220. 2 / I 1 and phase difference θ 2 -θ 1 Therefore, each frequency point within the working bandwidth can be configured independently, so that appropriate load pulling can be set for each working frequency point to improve the broadband performance of the power amplifier.

[0039] By using the power amplifier device provided in the embodiment of the present application, by adding an impedance adjuster at the load end, the working bandwidth of the power amplifier module can be effectively expanded and the matching efficiency of the load impedance can be improved.

[0040] An embodiment of the present application also provides a base station, which includes a power amplifier device as provided in each of the above embodiments.

[0041] Figure 6 A flowchart showing a method for amplifying a radio frequency signal power provided by an embodiment of the present application is shown. The method can be used for the above Figure 4 or Figure 5 The power amplifier device shown. Figure 6 As shown, the method mainly includes the following steps:

[0042] S601, for a target operating frequency and a target output power, adjusting the impedance of the second port by inputting a control RF signal at a first port of a gyromagnetic circulator of a power amplifier device, wherein properties of the control RF signal correspond to the target operating frequency and the target output power.

[0043] In the embodiment of the present application, the properties of the control RF signals corresponding to the operating frequencies of the power amplifier device and the different output powers corresponding to the operating frequencies can be obtained in advance through testing, and then the control RF signals of the corresponding properties are input to the first port 211 of the gyromagnetic circulator 210 of the power amplifier device according to the target operating frequency and the target output power, so as to adjust the resistance value of the first impedance of the second port 212 of the circulator 210, thereby adjusting the working performance of the power amplifier device so that the working performance of the power amplifier device can meet the requirements.

[0044] In a specific application, the properties of the RF signal input to the control amplifier 220 can be determined according to the target operating frequency and the target output power, and then the RF signal with the corresponding properties is input to the control amplifier 220. After being amplified by the control amplifier 220 (i.e., a control RF signal is obtained), it is input to the first port 211 of the gyromagnetic circulator 210.

[0045] S602 , amplifying the power of the input first radio frequency signal through the power amplifier module of the power amplifier device, and inputting the amplified second radio frequency signal into the second port 212 of the gyromagnetic circulator 210 .

[0046] In an embodiment of the present application, a first RF signal to be power amplified can be input into the input end of the power amplifier module 300 of the power amplifier device, and then, after power amplification by the power amplifier module 300, the amplified second RF signal is input into the second port 212 of the gyromagnetic circulator 210.

[0047] S603: Combine the second radio frequency signal with the control power amplifier signal to obtain a third radio frequency signal.

[0048] The gyromagnetic circulator 210 may combine the second RF signal with the control power amplifier signal to obtain a third RF signal, ie, the RF signal to be output.

[0049] S604: Output the third radio frequency signal through a third port of the gyromagnetic circulator.

[0050] Through the above-mentioned technical solution provided in the embodiment of the present application, the corresponding control RF signal can be input into the control amplifier of the impedance regulator according to the properties of each operating frequency point and the control RF signal corresponding to the different output powers of each operating frequency point, so that the load of the power amplifier device can be adjusted to the working performance corresponding to the target operating frequency point and the target output power, thereby realizing power amplification of the RF signal.

[0051] In one implementation, in S602, power amplifying the input first RF signal by the power amplifier module of the power amplifier device may include: when the power of the first RF signal input by the power amplifier module is less than a threshold, power amplifying the first RF signal by the main power amplifier of the power amplifier module.

[0052] For example, if the power amplifier module is a 2-way Doherty power amplifier, then in the small signal state, the Peak path of the Doherty power amplifier is closed and the Main path is working. The Main path and the control power amplifier together provide the power of the entire power amplifier when the signal is small. At this time, the impedance at the second port 212 can be adjusted by adjusting the amplitude and phase of the signal output by the control power amplifier 220 to achieve broadband high-efficiency matching of the Main path power amplifier.

[0053] In another implementation, in S602, power amplifying the input first RF signal by the power amplifier module of the power amplifier device may include: when the power of the first RF signal input by the power amplifier module is greater than or equal to a threshold, power amplifying the first RF signal by the main path power amplifier and the peak path power amplifier of the power amplifier module.

[0054] For example, if the power amplifier module is a 2-way Doherty power amplifier, the Peak path of the Doherty power amplifier is turned on in the large signal state. The Doherty power amplifier and the control power amplifier jointly provide the power of the entire power amplifier signal. In the process of the Peak path being turned on to pull the Main path, the impedance at the second port 212 is adjusted by adjusting the amplitude and phase of the signal output by the control power amplifier 220, so as to achieve broadband and high-efficiency matching of the Doherty power amplifier in the large signal state.

[0055] It should be noted that the above threshold value can be set according to the power of the power amplifier device in actual applications, and is not specifically limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0056] The embodiments of the present application are described above in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, but the present application is not limited to the above-mentioned specific implementation methods. The above-mentioned specific implementation methods are merely illustrative and not restrictive. Under the guidance of the present application, ordinary technicians in this field can also make many forms without departing from the purpose of the present application and the scope of protection of the claims, all of which are within the protection of the present application.

Claims

1. An impedance regulator, characterized in that: include: Gyromagnetic circulator and control amplifier, wherein, The control power amplifier is used to input a control radio frequency signal to the first port of the gyromagnetic circulator; The gyromagnetic circulator is used to perform unidirectional load pulling on the first impedance of the second port of the gyromagnetic circulator through the control RF signal to adjust the resistance value of the first impedance, wherein the second port is the input port of the gyromagnetic circulator.

2. The impedance adjuster according to claim 1, characterized in that: The control power amplifier is also used to obtain the control radio frequency signal by amplifying the power of the input radio frequency signal.

3. The impedance adjuster according to claim 1, characterized in that: The gyromagnetic circulator is further used to combine the control RF signal with the first RF signal input from the second port, and output the combined first RF signal from the third port of the gyromagnetic circulator.

4. The impedance adjuster according to claim 1, characterized in that: The value of the second impedance of the first port is fixed.

5. The impedance adjuster according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The rotation direction of the gyromagnetic annulator is clockwise or counterclockwise.

6. The impedance adjuster according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The control power amplifier comprises a plurality of power amplifiers connected in parallel.

7. A power amplifier device, characterized in that: include: Power amplifier module; The impedance adjuster according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the second port of the gyromagnetic circulator of the impedance adjuster is connected to the output end of the power amplifier module, and is used to adjust the operating frequency of the power amplifier module by adjusting the resistance value of the first impedance of the second port.

8. The power amplifier device according to claim 7, characterized in that: The power amplifier module includes a Doherty power amplifier circuit.

9. A method for amplifying radio frequency signal power, applied to the power amplifier device according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that: The method comprises: For a target operating frequency and a target output power, the impedance of the second port is adjusted by inputting a control radio frequency signal into the first port of the gyromagnetic circulator of the power amplifier device, wherein the properties of the control radio frequency signal correspond to the target operating frequency and the target output power; Amplifying the power of the input first radio frequency signal by the power amplifier module of the power amplifier device, and inputting the amplified second radio frequency signal into the second port of the gyromagnetic circulator; Combine the second radio frequency signal with the control power amplifier signal to obtain a third radio frequency signal; The third radio frequency signal is outputted through a third port of the gyromagnetic circulator.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that The power amplification module of the power amplifier device amplifies the power of the input first radio frequency signal, including: When the power of the first radio frequency signal input by the power amplifier module is less than a threshold, amplifying the power of the first radio frequency signal by a main power amplifier of the power amplifier module; When the power of the first radio frequency signal input by the power amplifier module is greater than or equal to a threshold, the first radio frequency signal is power amplified by the main path power amplifier and the peak path power amplifier of the power amplifier module.

11. A base station, characterized in that: Comprising the power amplifier device as claimed in claim 7 or 8.

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