Power amplifier

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention provides a power amplifier. The power amplifier comprises an input module used for receiving a radio frequency input signal and outputting at least two paths of first signals with phase difference based on the radio frequency input signal; the amplification module is provided with a first amplification unit and a second amplification unit which are used for respectively receiving the first signal and outputting an amplification signal; the adjusting module is coupled with the amplifying module; the adjusting module outputs an adjusting signal based on the amplification signal output by the first amplification unit and / or the second amplification unit; the amplification signal and the corresponding adjustment signal are superposed to obtain a first output signal, and the amplitude of the first output signal is different from the amplitude of the corresponding amplification signal.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to the field of circuit technologies, and in particular, to a power amplifier. Background Art

[0002] A radio frequency power amplifier (PA) is an important part of the radio frequency circuit in an electronic device, responsible for amplifying and transmitting the power of the radio frequency signal to be transmitted to achieve communication with a base station or a WiFi hotspot.

[0003] When the power amplifier operates at high and low temperatures, the parameters of the circuit devices inside it will change with the temperature. As a result, at high temperatures, the gain of the power amplifier will decrease; at low temperatures, the gain of the power amplifier will increase. In this case, the change in high and low temperatures will cause a large change in the gain of the power amplifier compared to room temperature, making it difficult to meet the requirements of industry standards. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In view of this, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a power amplifier.

[0005] The technical solution of the present disclosure is implemented as follows:

[0006] Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a power amplifier, including:

[0007] An input module, configured to receive a radio frequency input signal and output at least two first signals with a phase difference based on the radio frequency input signal;

[0008] An amplification module, having a first amplification unit and a second amplification unit, configured to receive the first signals respectively and output amplified signals;

[0009] An adjustment module, coupled to the amplification module; the adjustment module outputs an adjustment signal based on the amplified signal output by the first amplification unit and / or the second amplification unit; the amplified signal and the corresponding adjustment signal are superimposed to obtain a first output signal, and the amplitude of the first output signal is different from the amplitude of the corresponding amplified signal.

[0010] In some embodiments, the adjustment module includes a first adjustment unit and a second adjustment unit. The first adjustment unit outputs a first adjustment signal based on the second amplified signal output by the second amplification unit, and the first adjustment signal and the first amplified signal output by the first amplification unit are superimposed to obtain the first output signal; the second adjustment unit outputs a second adjustment signal based on the first amplified signal output by the first amplification unit, and the second adjustment signal and the second amplified signal output by the second amplification unit are superimposed to obtain the first output signal; or,

[0011] The adjustment module has an adjustment unit, whose input end is connected to the output end of one of the first amplification unit and the second amplification unit for coupling and outputting a signal; its output end is connected to the output end of the other of the first amplification unit and the second amplification unit and is superimposed on the output signal.

[0012] In some embodiments, the first amplification unit includes a first transistor, the second amplification unit includes a second transistor, and the first transistor and the second transistor are used to amplify the first signal to obtain the amplified signal;

[0013] The adjustment module includes a third transistor and a fourth transistor, and the third transistor and the fourth transistor are used to amplify the amplified signal to obtain the adjustment signal.

[0014] In some embodiments, the control end of the third transistor is coupled to the first end of the second transistor, and the first end of the third transistor is coupled to the first end of the first transistor;

[0015] The control end of the fourth transistor is coupled to the first end of the first transistor, and the first end of the fourth transistor is coupled to the first end of the second transistor;

[0016] The second ends of the third transistor and the fourth transistor are grounded.

[0017] In some embodiments, the control end of the third transistor is coupled to the first end of the second transistor; the second end of the third transistor is connected to the first end of the first transistor;

[0018] The control end of the fourth transistor is coupled to the first end of the first transistor; the second end of the fourth transistor is connected to the first end of the second transistor;

[0019] The first ends of the third transistor and the fourth transistor are connected to the power supply voltage terminal.

[0020] In some embodiments, the adjustment module further includes a phase adjustment unit for changing the phase of the adjustment signal output by the adjustment module.

[0021] In some embodiments, the first end of the third transistor is coupled to the first end of the first transistor via a first phase adjustment unit, and the control end of the third transistor is coupled to the first end of the second transistor;

[0022] The first end of the fourth transistor is coupled to the first end of the second transistor via a second phase adjustment unit, and the control end of the fourth transistor is coupled to the first end of the first transistor;

[0023] The second terminal of the third transistor and the second terminal of the fourth transistor are grounded.

[0024] In some embodiments, the amplification module is further configured to receive a first bias signal.

[0025] The amplification module outputs the amplified signal based on the first bias signal and the first signal.

[0026] The adjustment module is further configured to receive a second bias signal.

[0027] Wherein, the adjustment module is turned on or off by the second bias signal, and the second bias signal is greater than the first bias signal.

[0028] In some embodiments, the first signal includes differential signals with opposite phases and the same amplitudes.

[0029] In some embodiments, the amplified signal and the adjustment signal have the same phase.

[0030] An embodiment of the present disclosure provides a power amplifier, including: an input module, configured to receive a radio frequency input signal and output at least two first signals with a phase difference based on the radio frequency input signal; an amplification module, having a first amplification unit and a second amplification unit, configured to receive the first signals respectively and output amplified signals; an adjustment module, coupled to the amplification module; the adjustment module outputs an adjustment signal based on the amplified signal output by the first amplification unit and / or the second amplification unit; the amplified signal and the corresponding adjustment signal are superimposed to obtain a first output signal, and the amplitude of the first output signal is different from the amplitude of the corresponding amplified signal. In the embodiment of the present disclosure, by providing an adjustment module in the power amplifier and using the adjustment module to perform feedback adjustment on the amplified signal, a first output signal with an amplitude different from the amplified signal is obtained, thereby realizing the adjustment of the gain of the power amplifier. And while realizing adjustable gain, the balance of other indexes (linearity, efficiency, etc.) of the power amplifier is realized. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] Figure 1 Is a circuit diagram of a power amplifier in an example;

[0032] Figure 2 Is a circuit diagram of the first power amplifier provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0033] Figure 3 Is a circuit diagram of the second power amplifier provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0034] Figure 4 Is a circuit diagram of the third power amplifier provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present disclosure will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the embodiments of the present disclosure and the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present disclosure, rather than all of the embodiments. All other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments in the present disclosure without creative efforts shall fall within the scope of protection of the present disclosure.

[0036] In the following description, numerous specific details are given to provide a more thorough understanding of the present disclosure. However, it is obvious to those skilled in the art that the present disclosure may be implemented without one or more of these details. In other instances, in order to avoid confusion with the present disclosure, some well-known technical features are not described; that is, not all features of the actual embodiments are described here, and the well-known functions and structures are not described in detail.

[0037] In the drawings, for clarity, the dimensions of layers, regions, elements, and their relative dimensions may be exaggerated. The same reference numerals throughout the drawings denote the same elements.

[0038] It should be understood that when an element or layer is referred to as being "on", "adjacent to", "connected to", or "coupled to" another element or layer, it can be directly on, adjacent to, connected to, or coupled to the other element or layer, or there may be intervening elements or layers. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being "directly on", "directly adjacent to", "directly connected to", or "directly coupled to" another element or layer, there are no intervening elements or layers. It should be understood that although the terms first, second, third, etc. may be used to describe various elements, components, regions, layers, and / or parts, these elements, components, regions, layers, and / or parts should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer, or part from another element, component, region, layer, or part. Thus, without departing from the teachings of the present disclosure, the first element, component, region, layer, or part discussed below may be referred to as the second element, component, region, layer, or part. And when discussing the second element, component, region, layer, or part, it does not imply that the present disclosure necessarily has a first element, component, region, layer, or part.

[0039] Spatial relationship terms such as "under", "below", "lower", "beneath", "above", "upper", etc. may be used herein for convenience of description to describe the relationship of one element or feature shown in the figures with other elements or features. It should be understood that, in addition to the orientations shown in the figures, spatial relationship terms are also intended to include different orientations of the device in use and operation. For example, if the device in the figures is flipped, then an element or feature described as "under other elements" or "beneath them" or "underneath them" will be oriented "above" the other elements or features. Thus, the exemplary terms "under" and "beneath" can include both an upper and a lower orientation. The device may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or other orientations) and the spatial descriptors used herein are to be interpreted accordingly.

[0040] The purpose of the terms used herein is only to describe specific embodiments and is not a limitation of the present disclosure. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" are also intended to include the plural forms unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. It should also be understood that the terms "comprising" and / or "including", when used in this specification, specify the presence of the stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements and / or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components and / or groups. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of the related listed items.

[0041] To thoroughly understand the present disclosure, detailed steps and detailed structures will be presented in the following description to illustrate the technical solutions of the present disclosure. The preferred embodiments of the present disclosure are described in detail below. However, in addition to these detailed descriptions, the present disclosure may have other embodiments.

[0042] In actual use, the power amplifier needs to meet the gain requirements at high and low temperatures. Since in a high-temperature environment, the gain of the power amplifier will decrease; in a low-temperature environment, the gain of the power amplifier will increase. To reduce the gain difference of the power amplifier at high and low temperatures, a power amplifier with variable gain needs to be designed. At the same time, since the stability and chip burning situation of the power amplifier are also directly related to the gain. Specifically, the higher the gain of the power amplifier, the worse the stability and the easier it is to burn the chip. Therefore, to further improve the performance of the power amplifier, it is very necessary to design a power amplifier with variable gain.

[0043] Figure 1 is a circuit diagram of a power amplifier in an example. As Figure 1As shown, the circuit of the power amplifier 100 includes a first balun 101, a transistor Q', a transistor Q", and a second balun 102. The bases of the transistor Q' and the transistor Q" are respectively used to receive differential signals, and after amplifying the differential signals, the amplified signals are output from their collectors to the second balun 102. The second balun is used to convert the amplified differential signals from differential transmission to single-ended transmission to output radio frequency output signals.

[0044] In the prior art, the power amplifier 100 can only adjust its gain through the bias circuits of the transistor Q' and the transistor Q". However, this will cause deterioration of indicators such as the linearity and efficiency of the power amplifier 100. Therefore, Figure 1 it is difficult for the shown power amplifier 100 to achieve a balance between linearity and efficiency while adjusting the gain during actual use.

[0045] In view of this, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a power amplifier with variable gain, which can achieve a balance between gain, linearity, and efficiency during actual use.

[0046] Figure 2 This is the circuit diagram of the first power amplifier provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure. As Figure 2 shown, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a power amplifier 200, including: an input module 201, configured to receive a radio frequency input signal and output at least two first signals with a phase difference based on the radio frequency input signal; an amplification module 202, having a first amplification unit 203 and a second amplification unit 204, configured to receive the first signals respectively and output amplified signals; an adjustment module 205, coupled to the amplification module 202; the adjustment module 205 outputs an adjustment signal based on the amplified signals output by the first amplification unit 203 and / or the second amplification unit 204; the amplified signal and the corresponding adjustment signal are superimposed to obtain a first output signal, and the amplitude of the first output signal is different from the amplitude of the corresponding amplified signal.

[0047] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, compared with the power amplifier in the prior art, an adjustment module 205 is introduced, which can adjust the gain according to the output signal of the amplification unit. While achieving the adjustment of the gain, it will not affect indicators such as the balance of linearity and efficiency. Moreover, the power amplifier 200 in the present application has better design freedom and better performance.

[0048] In some embodiments, the input module 201 includes a balun, and the balun is used to convert the radio frequency input signal received by the power amplifier 200 from single-ended transmission to differential transmission. As Figure 2As shown, the input module 201 includes an input terminal and two output terminals, namely the first input terminal 206, the first output terminal 207, and the second output terminal 208. Among them, the first input terminal is coupled to the RF input terminal RFIN for receiving a radio frequency input signal, and the first output terminal and the second output terminal respectively output a first signal with a phase difference based on the radio frequency input signal.

[0049] In some embodiments, the input module 201 may also include other structures, such as a power splitter and other structures for converting a single-ended signal into a multi-ended signal.

[0050] In some embodiments, the power of the multiple signals output by the input module 201 can be evenly divided or distributed proportionally, such as 1:3, 1:2, 1:4, etc.

[0051] In some embodiments, the phase difference of the multiple signals output by the input module 201 can be 180 degrees, 90 degrees, 270 degrees, etc.

[0052] In some embodiments, the first signal includes differential signals with opposite phases and the same amplitudes.

[0053] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the amplification module 202 includes a first amplification unit 203 and a second amplification unit 204. The first amplification unit 203 and the second amplification unit 204 can respectively receive the first signal with a phase difference and output an amplified signal based on the first signal. Here, it should be noted that the structures of the first amplification unit 203 and the second amplification unit 204 are the same. When the first signal is a differential signal, the amplified signals respectively output by the first amplification unit 203 and the second amplification unit 204 are also differential signals to each other.

[0054] In other embodiments, the amplification parameters of the first amplification unit 203 and the second amplification unit 204 can also be different, such as different gains, etc., and the present application does not make any restrictions.

[0055] In some embodiments, the first amplification unit includes a first transistor, the second amplification unit includes a second transistor, and the first transistor and the second transistor are used to amplify the first signal to obtain an amplified signal.

[0056] Such as Figure 2As shown, the first amplification unit 203 includes a first transistor Q1, and the second amplification unit 204 includes a second transistor Q2. Among them, the control terminal 209 of the first transistor Q1 is connected to the first output terminal 207 of the input module 201 for receiving a first signal. The second terminal 211 of the first transistor Q1 is grounded. The control terminal 212 of the second transistor Q2 is connected to the second output terminal 208 of the input module 201 for receiving the first signal. The second terminal 214 of the second transistor Q2 is grounded. In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the amplified first signal can be collectively referred to as an amplified signal. More specifically, the amplified signal output by the first transistor Q1 can be referred to as a first amplified signal, and the amplified signal output by the second transistor Q2 can be referred to as a second amplified signal.

[0057] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the adjustment module 205 is coupled to the amplification module 202, and the adjustment module 205 can output an adjustment signal based on the amplified signals output by the first amplification unit 203 and / or the second amplification unit 204.

[0058] In some embodiments, the adjustment module has an adjustment unit, whose input terminal is connected to the output terminal of one of the first amplification unit and the second amplification unit for coupling the output signal; its output terminal is connected to the output terminal of the other of the first amplification unit and the second amplification unit and is superimposed on the output signal. For example, the input terminal of the adjustment unit is connected to the output terminal of the first amplification unit, and the output terminal is connected to the output terminal of the second amplification unit; for another example, the input terminal of the adjustment unit is connected to the output terminal of the second amplification unit, and the output terminal is connected to the output terminal of the first amplification unit.

[0059] In some embodiments, the adjustment module includes a first adjustment unit and a second adjustment unit. The first adjustment unit outputs a first adjustment signal based on the second amplified signal output by the second amplification unit, and the first adjustment signal is superimposed on the first amplified signal output by the first amplification unit to obtain a first output signal; the second adjustment unit outputs a second adjustment signal based on the first amplified signal output by the first amplification unit, and the second adjustment signal is superimposed on the second amplified signal output by the second amplification unit to obtain a first output signal.

[0060] In some embodiments, the adjustment signal output by the adjustment unit has the same phase as the amplified signal output by the corresponding amplification unit. For example, when the amplified signal is a differential signal, the adjustment signal output by the adjustment module 205 based on the amplified signal is also a differential signal.

[0061] Such as Figure 2As shown, the adjustment module includes a first adjustment unit 215 and a second adjustment unit 216. Among them, the first adjustment unit 215 is used to receive the second amplified signal and output a first adjustment signal to the first end 210 of the first transistor Q1 based on the second amplified signal. At this time, the first adjustment signal is superimposed on the first amplified signal output by the first amplification unit 203 to obtain a first output signal. That is to say, the first adjustment unit 215 realizes the adjustment of the first amplified signal. Similarly, the second adjustment unit 216 is used to receive the first amplified signal and output a second adjustment signal to the first end 213 of the second transistor Q2 based on the first amplified signal. At this time, the second adjustment signal is superimposed on the second amplified signal output by the second amplification unit 204 to obtain a first output signal. That is to say, the second adjustment unit 216 realizes the adjustment of the second amplified signal.

[0062] In some embodiments, the adjustment module includes a third transistor and a fourth transistor, and the third transistor and the fourth transistor are used to amplify the amplified signal to obtain an adjustment signal.

[0063] As Figure 2 shown, the first adjustment unit 215 includes a third transistor Q3, and the second adjustment unit 216 includes a fourth transistor Q4. Among them, the third transistor Q3 is used to amplify the received second amplified signal to obtain a first adjustment signal. The fourth transistor Q4 is used to amplify the received first amplified signal to obtain a second adjustment signal.

[0064] In some embodiments, as Figure 2 shown, the control end 218 of the third transistor Q3 is coupled to the first end 213 of the second transistor Q2, and the first end 219 of the third transistor Q3 is coupled to the first end 210 of the first transistor Q1; the control end 221 of the fourth transistor Q4 is coupled to the first end 210 of the first transistor Q1, and the first end 222 of the fourth transistor Q4 is coupled to the first end 213 of the second transistor Q2; the second end 220 of the third transistor Q3 and the second end 223 of the fourth transistor Q4 are grounded.

[0065] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, each transistor can be a heterojunction bipolar transistor, such as a triode, or a field effect transistor, such as a MOS transistor, etc. Among them, each transistor can have the same type or different types, and the present application does not make any restrictions. When the transistor is a heterojunction bipolar transistor, its control end can be its base, the first end of the transistor can be its collector, and the second end of the transistor can be its emitter.

[0066] In some embodiments, each amplifying unit may also be connected to a plurality of adjusting units to adjust different gains according to different adjusting units. For example, a first amplifying unit is connected to two adjusting units, the input ends of the two adjusting units are connected to the output end of the first amplifying unit, and the output ends of the two adjusting units are connected to the output end of the second amplifying unit, wherein the gains of the two amplifying units are different, and the two amplifying units can be turned on at the same time or in a time-sharing manner to adjust the amplifier to different gains as needed.

[0067] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the power amplifier 200 further includes a first capacitor C1 and a second capacitor C2. The first capacitor C1 is coupled between the control terminal 218 of the third transistor Q3 and the first terminal 213 of the second transistor Q2. The first capacitor C1 is used to isolate the DC power signal ( Figure 2 The second capacitor C2 is coupled between the control terminal 221 of the fourth transistor Q4 and the first terminal 210 of the first transistor Q1. The second capacitor C2 is used to isolate the DC power signal connected to the first terminal 210 of the first transistor Q1 ( Figure 2 Here, the arrangement of the first capacitor C1 and the second capacitor C2 introduces positive feedback into the power amplifier 200, so that the gain of the power amplifier 200 can be further improved.

[0068] In some embodiments, the amplified signal and the conditioned signal are in phase.

[0069] like Figure 2 As shown, since the input module 201 can output at least two first signals with phase differences based on the RF input signal. The input signals and output signals of the first amplifying unit, the second amplifying unit and the regulating unit are in opposite phases, so that the first regulating signal output by the first regulating unit connected to the output end of the second amplifying unit has the same phase as the first amplified signal output by the first amplifying unit, and the second regulating signal output by the second regulating unit connected to the output end of the first amplifying unit has the same phase as the second amplified signal output by the second amplifying unit. At this time, the amplitude of the first output signal obtained by superimposing the first regulating signal and the first amplified signal is greater than the amplitude of the first amplified signal, and the amplitude of the first output signal obtained by superimposing the second regulating signal and the second amplified signal is greater than the amplitude of the second amplified signal, and the gain of the power amplifier 200 is improved.

[0070] In some embodiments, the phases of the superimposed adjustment signal and the amplified signal may also be opposite. In this case, the adjustment unit is used to reduce the gain of the amplifier.

[0071] Figure 3 FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram of a second power amplifier 300 provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure.Figure 3 As shown, the adjustment module 305 includes a first adjustment unit 215 and a second adjustment unit 216. Among them, the input signals and output signals of the first adjustment unit 215 and the second adjustment unit 216 have the same phase. Since the input signals and output signals of the first amplification unit 203 and the second amplification unit 204 have opposite phases, in this way, the first adjustment signal output by the first adjustment unit 215 connected to the output end of the second amplification unit 204 has an opposite phase to the first amplification signal output by the first amplification unit 203, thereby reducing the gain of the power amplifier 300.

[0072] In some embodiments, the first adjustment unit 215 includes a third transistor Q3, and the second adjustment unit 216 includes a fourth transistor Q4. Among them, the third transistor Q3 and the fourth transistor Q4 are connected in a common collector connection mode or a common drain connection mode. Specifically, the control terminal 218 of the third transistor Q3 is coupled to the first terminal 213 of the second transistor Q2; the second terminal 220 of the third transistor Q3 is connected to the first terminal 210 of the first transistor Q1; the control terminal 221 of the fourth transistor Q4 is coupled to the first terminal 210 of the first transistor Q1; the second terminal 223 of the fourth transistor Q4 is connected to the first terminal 213 of the second transistor Q2; the first terminals 219 of the third transistor Q3 and 222 of the fourth transistor Q4 are connected to the power supply voltage terminal for receiving the power supply voltage V CC , such as Figure 3 shown. It should be noted that at this time, V CC is greater than the feeding voltage of the amplification unit, for example, twice the feeding voltage.

[0073] In some embodiments, the adjustment module further includes a phase adjustment unit for changing the phase of the adjustment signal output by the adjustment module. For example, through phase adjustment, the input signal and output signal of the adjustment module are made to have the same or opposite phases. Among them, the phase adjustment unit can be connected to either the input end or the output end of the adjustment module, and this application does not make a limitation.

[0074] In some embodiments, by adding a phase adjustment unit in Figure 2 , the input signal and output signal of the adjustment module are made to have the same phase, so that the first adjustment signal and the second adjustment signal have opposite phases, and further reduce the gain of the amplifier.

[0075] In some embodiments, by adding a phase adjustment unit in Figure 3 the embodiment, the first adjustment signal and the second adjustment signal are made to have the same phase. At this time, since the first adjustment unit is a follower and does not have an amplification function, the gain of the amplifier is still reduced.

[0076] In some embodiments, the first adjustment unit further includes a first phase adjustment unit, and the second adjustment unit further includes a second phase adjustment unit; the first phase adjustment unit is configured to adjust a second signal output by the third transistor based on the amplified signal and output an adjustment signal; the second phase adjustment unit is configured to adjust a second signal output by the fourth transistor based on the amplified signal and output an adjustment signal. It should be noted that the first phase adjustment unit or the second phase adjustment unit may also be omitted, in which case only the phase of one path of signal is adjusted.

[0077] Figure 4 The circuit diagram of the third power amplifier 400 provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure is shown as Figure 4 shown. The adjustment module 405 includes a first adjustment unit 415 and a second adjustment unit 416. Among them, the first adjustment unit 415 includes a third transistor Q3 and a first phase adjustment unit 401, and a first end 219 of the third transistor Q3 is coupled to a first end 210 of the first transistor Q1 through the first phase adjustment unit 401. The second adjustment unit 416 includes a fourth transistor Q4 and a second phase adjustment unit 402, and a first end 222 of the fourth transistor Q4 is coupled to a first end 213 of the second transistor Q2 through the second phase adjustment unit 402. A control end 218 of the third transistor Q3 is coupled to the first end 213 of the second transistor Q2, a control end 221 of the fourth transistor Q4 is coupled to the first end 210 of the first transistor Q1, and a second end 220 of the third transistor Q3 and a second end 223 of the fourth transistor Q4 are grounded. Here, the third transistor Q3 can output a second signal from its first end 219 based on the received second amplified signal, and the first phase adjustment unit 401 is configured to adjust the second signal and output a first adjustment signal. The fourth transistor Q4 can output a second signal from its first end 222 based on the received first amplified signal, and the second phase adjustment unit 402 is configured to adjust the second signal and output a second adjustment signal. In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the adjustment of the second signal by the first phase adjustment unit 401 and the second phase adjustment unit 402 includes the adjustment of the phase of the second signal. For example, the second signal is inverted.

[0078] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the first phase adjustment unit 401 and the second phase adjustment unit 402 include an inverter or a phase shifter.

[0079] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the power amplifier further includes an output module 224. In some embodiments, the output module 224 includes a balun, and the balun is configured to convert a first output signal transmitted differentially into a radio frequency output signal transmitted in a single-ended manner. As Figure 2As shown, the output module 224 includes two input terminals and one output terminal, namely the second input terminal 225, the third input terminal 226, and the third output terminal 227 respectively. Among them, the second input terminal 225 is connected to the first terminal 210 of the first transistor Q1, the third input terminal 226 is connected to the first terminal 213 of the second transistor Q2, and both the second input terminal 225 and the third input terminal 226 are used to receive the first output signal. The third output terminal 227 is coupled to the radio frequency output terminal RFOUT and is used to output the radio frequency output signal. In other embodiments, the output module may also have other structures for converting multi-terminal signals into unit signals, which is not limited in this application.

[0080] In some embodiments, the amplification module is further configured to receive a first bias signal, and the amplification module outputs an amplified signal based on the first bias signal and the first signal; the adjustment module is further configured to receive a second bias signal. Among them, the adjustment module is turned on or off by the second bias signal, and the second bias signal is greater than the first bias signal.

[0081] Refer to Figures 2 to 4 , the control terminal 209 of the first transistor Q1 and the control terminal 212 of the second transistor Q2 are also used to receive a first bias signal (not shown in the figure). Among them, the first transistor Q1 can output a first amplified signal based on the first bias signal and the first signal, and the first bias signal is used to adjust the swing of the first amplified signal. The second transistor Q2 can output a second amplified signal based on the first bias signal and the first signal, and the first bias signal is used to adjust the swing of the second amplified signal. The control terminal 218 of the third transistor Q3 and the control terminal 221 of the fourth transistor Q4 are also used to receive a second bias signal (not shown in the figure). The third transistor Q3 can output a first adjustment signal based on the second bias signal and the second amplified signal, and the second bias signal is used to adjust the swing of the first adjustment signal. The fourth transistor Q4 can output a second adjustment signal based on the second bias signal and the first amplified signal, and the second bias signal is used to adjust the swing of the second adjustment signal.

[0082] Here, the first bias signal and the second bias signal can be provided by a bias circuit, and the first bias signal and the second bias signal can be current signals or voltage signals.

[0083] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, during the use of the power amplifier, the magnitude of the first bias signal remains unchanged. Here, since the magnitude of the first bias signal does not change, the indicators such as the linearity and efficiency of the power amplifier will not be affected.

[0084] It should be noted that at room temperature, if the magnitude of the first bias signal remains unchanged, the amplitudes of the first amplified signal output by the first transistor Q1 and the second amplified signal output by the second transistor Q2 both remain unchanged. However, when the external environmental temperature rises, if the magnitude of the first bias signal still remains unchanged, the amplitudes of the first amplified signal output by the first transistor Q1 and the second amplified signal output by the second transistor Q2 both decrease. Moreover, the more the external environmental temperature rises, the more the amplitude of the amplified signal decreases. Here, it can be understood that in the case where the power amplifier does not include an adjustment module, if the amplitude of the amplified signal decreases, the gain of the power amplifier will also decrease.

[0085] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the magnitude of the second bias signal changes with the change of the external environmental temperature. Specifically, the higher the external environmental temperature, the larger the second bias signal; the lower the external environmental temperature, the smaller the second bias signal. Here, since the magnitude of the second bias signal changes with the change of the external environmental temperature, therefore, at different temperatures, different second bias signals can be used to control the conduction or cutoff of the third transistor Q3 and the fourth transistor Q4. Moreover, when the second bias signal controls the conduction of the third transistor Q3 and the fourth transistor Q4, the magnitudes of the amplitude of the first adjustment signal output by the third transistor Q3 and the amplitude of the second adjustment signal output by the fourth transistor Q4 can also be controlled according to different second bias signals.

[0086] In a specific embodiment, when the external environmental temperature rises much more than room temperature, the amplitude of the first adjustment signal output by the third transistor Q3 is larger, and the amplitude of the second adjustment signal output by the fourth transistor Q4 is also larger. As a result, the amplitude of the first output signal obtained by superimposing the first amplified signal and the corresponding first adjustment signal is also larger. In this way, the gain of the power amplifier is greatly improved.

[0087] In another specific embodiment, when the external environmental temperature rises less than room temperature, the amplitude of the first adjustment signal output by the third transistor Q3 is smaller, and the amplitude of the second adjustment signal output by the fourth transistor Q4 is also smaller. As a result, the amplitude of the first output signal obtained by superimposing the first amplified signal and the corresponding first adjustment signal is also smaller. In this way, the gain of the power amplifier is slightly improved.

[0088] Here, the increased part of the gain can compensate for the gain loss caused by the decrease in the amplitude of the amplified signal. That is to say, the actual gain of the power amplifier after gain adjustment can be flexibly controlled within a certain threshold range, thereby reducing the gain difference at different temperatures.

[0089] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the magnitude of the first bias signal may be smaller than that of the second bias signal. Exemplarily, the magnitude of the second bias signal may be 1 to 2 times that of the first bias signal, so that the gain of the third transistor is 0 to 3 dB higher than that of the first transistor.

[0090] It should be noted that when the adjustment module is used to reduce the gain of the amplifier, the second bias signal may also be smaller than the first bias signal.

[0091] Generally, the first transistor Q1 and the second transistor Q2 in the amplification module 202 can be designed in class AB or class B to balance the linearity and efficiency of the power amplifier. In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the third transistor Q3 and the fourth transistor Q4 in the adjustment module are designed in class A, so that the bias signals connected to the third transistor Q3 and the fourth transistor Q4 are higher than those of the first transistor Q1 and the second transistor Q2. In this way, on the one hand, a greater gain improvement can be achieved, and on the other hand, the third transistor Q3 and the fourth transistor Q4 can be complementary to the first transistor Q1 and the second transistor Q2, so that the power amplifier obtains better performance.

[0092] It should be noted that the gain-variable power amplifier provided in the embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied to application scenarios where the external ambient temperature is relatively high (higher than normal temperature) or relatively low (lower than normal temperature). The gain of the power amplifier can be flexibly adjusted according to the ambient temperature, thereby improving the performance of the amplifier.

[0093] The embodiments of the present disclosure provide a power amplifier, including: an input module, configured to receive a radio frequency input signal and output at least two first signals with a phase difference based on the radio frequency input signal; an amplification module, having a first amplification unit and a second amplification unit, configured to receive the first signals respectively and output amplified signals; an adjustment module, coupled to the amplification module; the adjustment module outputs an adjustment signal based on the amplified signal output by the first amplification unit and / or the second amplification unit; the amplified signal and the corresponding adjustment signal are superimposed to obtain a first output signal, and the amplitude of the first output signal is different from that of the corresponding amplified signal. In the embodiments of the present disclosure, by providing an adjustment module in the power amplifier and using the adjustment module to perform feedback adjustment on the amplified signal, a first output signal with an amplitude different from that of the amplified signal is obtained, thereby realizing the adjustment of the gain of the power amplifier. And while achieving adjustable gain, the balance of other indexes (linearity, efficiency, etc.) of the power amplifier is realized.

[0094] It should be understood that the "one embodiment" or "an embodiment" mentioned throughout the specification means that the specific features, structures or characteristics related to the embodiment are included in at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. Therefore, the "in one embodiment" or "in an embodiment" that appears throughout the specification does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. In addition, these specific features, structures or characteristics may be combined in one or more embodiments in any suitable manner. It should be understood that in various embodiments of the present disclosure, the magnitudes of the serial numbers of the above processes do not mean the order of execution. The order of execution of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation to the implementation process of the embodiments of the present disclosure. The serial numbers of the embodiments of the present disclosure above are only for description and do not represent the advantages or disadvantages of the embodiments.

[0095] The above is only the preferred embodiment of the present disclosure, and does not limit the patent scope of the present disclosure. Any equivalent structural transformation made by using the content of the specification and drawings of the present disclosure under the inventive concept of the present disclosure, or direct / indirect application in other related technical fields, is included in the patent protection scope of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A power amplifier, characterized in that, Comprising: An input module, configured to receive a radio frequency input signal and output at least two first signals with a phase difference based on the radio frequency input signal; An amplification module, having a first amplification unit and a second amplification unit, configured to receive the first signals respectively and output amplified signals; An adjustment module, coupled to the amplification module; the adjustment module outputs an adjustment signal based on the amplified signal output by the first amplification unit and / or the second amplification unit; the amplified signal and the corresponding adjustment signal are superimposed to obtain a first output signal, and the amplitude of the first output signal is different from the amplitude of the corresponding amplified signal.

2. The power amplifier according to claim 1, characterized in that, The adjustment module includes a first adjustment unit and a second adjustment unit. The first adjustment unit outputs a first adjustment signal based on the second amplified signal output by the second amplification unit, and the first adjustment signal and the first amplified signal output by the first amplification unit are superimposed to obtain the first output signal; the second adjustment unit outputs a second adjustment signal based on the first amplified signal output by the first amplification unit, and the second adjustment signal and the second amplified signal output by the second amplification unit are superimposed to obtain the first output signal; or, The adjustment module has an adjustment unit, whose input end is connected to the output end of one of the first amplification unit and the second amplification unit for coupling an output signal; Its output end is connected to the output end of the other of the first amplification unit and the second amplification unit and is superimposed with the output signal.

3. The power amplifier according to claim 2, wherein The first amplification unit includes a first transistor, and the second amplification unit includes a second transistor. The first transistor and the second transistor are configured to amplify the first signal to obtain the amplified signal; The adjustment module includes a third transistor and a fourth transistor. The third transistor and the fourth transistor are configured to amplify the amplified signal to obtain the adjustment signal.

4. The power amplifier according to claim 3, wherein The control end of the third transistor is coupled to the first end of the second transistor, and the first end of the third transistor is coupled to the first end of the first transistor; The control end of the fourth transistor is coupled to the first end of the first transistor, and the first end of the fourth transistor is coupled to the first end of the second transistor; The second ends of the third transistor and the fourth transistor are grounded.

5. The power amplifier according to claim 3, wherein The control end of the third transistor is coupled to the first end of the second transistor; the second end of the third transistor is connected to the first end of the first transistor; The control end of the fourth transistor is coupled to the first end of the first transistor; the second end of the fourth transistor is connected to the first end of the second transistor; The first ends of the third transistor and the fourth transistor are connected to the power supply voltage terminal.

6. The power amplifier according to claim 3, characterized in that, The adjustment module further includes a phase adjustment unit, configured to change the phase of the adjustment signal output by the adjustment module.

7. The power amplifier according to claim 6, wherein The first end of the third transistor is coupled to the first end of the first transistor via a first phase adjustment unit, and the control end of the third transistor is coupled to the first end of the second transistor; The first end of the fourth transistor is coupled to the first end of the second transistor via a second phase adjustment unit, and the control end of the fourth transistor is coupled to the first end of the first transistor; The second ends of the third transistor and the fourth transistor are grounded.

8. The power amplifier according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that, The amplification module is further configured to receive a first bias signal, The amplification module outputs the amplified signal based on the first bias signal and the first signal; The adjustment module is further configured to receive a second bias signal; Wherein, the adjustment module is turned on or off by the second bias signal, and the second bias signal is greater than the first bias signal.

9. The power amplifier according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that, The first signal includes differential signals with opposite phases and the same amplitudes.

10. The power amplifier according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that, The amplified signal has the same phase as the adjustment signal.

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