Power amplifier
By introducing an adjustment module into the power amplifier to provide feedback adjustment of the amplified signal, the problem of gain variation under high and low temperature environments is solved, achieving adjustable gain and a balance between linearity and efficiency, thus improving the performance of the power amplifier.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202510250047.1
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Patents(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2025-03-04
- Publication Date
- 2025-11-04
- Estimated Expiration
- 2045-03-04
AI Technical Summary
Existing power amplifiers exhibit significant gain variations under high and low temperature conditions, making it difficult to meet industry specifications. Furthermore, gain adjustments can negatively impact linearity and efficiency.
An adjustment module is introduced into the power amplifier to provide feedback adjustment to the output signal of the amplification unit, thereby achieving adjustable gain and maintaining a balance between linearity and efficiency while adjusting the gain.
It enables flexible gain adjustment under different temperature environments, reduces the gain difference between high and low temperature environments, and improves the performance and design freedom of power amplifiers.
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Figure CN120281283B_ABST
Abstract
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The embodiment of the present disclosure relates to the technical field of circuit, in particular to a power amplifier. BACKGROUND
[0002] The radio frequency power amplifier (PA) is an important component of the radio frequency circuit in the electronic device, which is responsible for amplifying the power of the radio frequency signal to be transmitted and realizing the communication with the base station or WiFi hotspot.
[0003] When the power amplifier works in high and low temperature states, the circuit device parameters in the power amplifier will change with the temperature, which causes the gain of the power amplifier to decrease at high temperature and to increase at low temperature. In this case, the change of high and low temperature will cause the gain of the power amplifier to change greatly compared with the normal temperature, so that it is difficult to meet the demand of industry index. SUMMARY
[0004] Therefore, the embodiment of the present disclosure provides a power amplifier.
[0005] The technical solution of the present disclosure is implemented as follows:
[0006] The embodiment of the present disclosure provides a power amplifier, which comprises:
[0007] An input module is 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 is configured to receive the first signals and output amplified signals through a first amplification unit and a second amplification unit;
[0009] An adjustment module is coupled to the amplification module, and is configured to output an adjustment signal based on the amplified signals output by the first amplification unit and / or the second amplification unit. The amplified signals and the corresponding adjustment signals 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 comprises 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 adjusting module has an adjusting unit, an input end of which is connected with an output end of one of the first amplifying unit and the second amplifying unit for coupling the output signal, and an output end of which is connected with an output end of the other of the first amplifying unit and the second amplifying unit for superimposing the output signal.
[0012] In some embodiments, the first amplifying unit comprises a first transistor, and the second amplifying unit comprises a second transistor, the first transistor and the second transistor being used for amplifying the first signal to obtain the amplified signal.
[0013] The adjusting module comprises a third transistor and a fourth transistor, the third transistor and the fourth transistor being used for amplifying the amplified signal to obtain the adjusting signal.
[0014] In some embodiments, a control end of the third transistor is coupled with a first end of the second transistor, and a first end of the third transistor is coupled with a first end of the first transistor.
[0015] A control end of the fourth transistor is coupled with the first end of the first transistor, and a first end of the fourth transistor is coupled with the first end of the second transistor.
[0016] A second end of the third transistor and a second end of the fourth transistor are grounded.
[0017] In some embodiments, a control end of the third transistor is coupled with a first end of the second transistor, and a second end of the third transistor is connected with a first end of the first transistor.
[0018] A control end of the fourth transistor is coupled with the first end of the first transistor, and a second end of the fourth transistor is connected with the first end of the second transistor.
[0019] A first end of the third transistor and a first end of the fourth transistor are connected with a power voltage end.
[0020] In some embodiments, the adjusting module further comprises a phase adjusting unit for changing a phase of the adjusting signal output by the adjusting module.
[0021] In some embodiments, a first end of the third transistor is coupled with the first end of the first transistor through a first phase adjusting unit, and a control end of the third transistor and a first end of the second transistor are coupled.
[0022] A first end of the fourth transistor is coupled with the first end of the second transistor through a second phase adjusting unit, and a control end of the fourth transistor and the first end of the first transistor are coupled.
[0023] The second end of the third transistor and the second end 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 amplification 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] 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 comprises differential signals with opposite phases and same amplitudes.
[0029] In some embodiments, the amplification signal and the adjustment signal have the same phase.
[0030] Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a power amplifier, comprising: an input module configured to receive a radio frequency input signal and output at least two first signals with 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 amplification signals; an adjustment module coupled with the amplification module; the adjustment module outputs an adjustment signal based on the amplification signals output by the first amplification unit and / or the second amplification unit; the amplification 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 amplification signal. In embodiments of the present disclosure, by setting an adjustment module in the power amplifier and using the adjustment module to adjust the feedback of the amplification signal, a first output signal with different amplitude is obtained, thereby realizing the adjustment of the gain of the power amplifier. And while realizing the adjustable gain, the balance of other indicators (linearity, efficiency, etc.) of the power amplifier is realized. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0031] Figure 1 An example circuit diagram of a power amplifier;
[0032] Figure 2 A first circuit diagram of a power amplifier provided by embodiments of the present disclosure;
[0033] Figure 3 A second circuit diagram of a power amplifier provided by embodiments of the present disclosure;
[0034] Figure 4 A third circuit diagram of a power amplifier provided by embodiments of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0035] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present disclosure will be described clearly and completely below in combination with the embodiments of the present disclosure and the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present disclosure, rather than all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present disclosure, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative work fall within the scope of protection of the present disclosure.
[0036] In the following description, a large number of 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 can be implemented without one or more of these details. In other examples, in order to avoid obscuring the present disclosure, some technical features known in the art are not described; that is, not all features of the actual embodiments are described here, and well-known functions and structures are not described in detail.
[0037] In the drawings, the size of layers, regions, elements and their relative sizes can be exaggerated for clarity. The same reference signs represent the same elements throughout.
[0038] It should be understood that when an element or layer is referred to as being "on", "adjacent", "connected to", or "coupled to" another element or layer, it can be directly on, adjacent, connected or coupled to the other element or layer, or an intervening element or layer can be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being "directly on", "directly adjacent", "directly connected to", or "directly coupled to" another element or layer, then there are no intervening elements or layers present. It will be understood that, although the terms first, second, third, etc. can be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and / or sections, these elements, components, regions, layers and / or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or section from another element, component, region, layer or section. Thus, a first element, component, region, layer or section discussed below could be termed a second element, component, region, layer or section without departing from the teachings of the present disclosure. Similarly, a second element, component, region, layer or section discussed below could be termed a first element, component, region, layer or section without departing from the teachings of the present disclosure.
[0039] Spatially relative terms, such as "beneath", "below", "lower", "under", "above", "upper" and the like, can be used herein for ease of description to describe one element or feature's relationship to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. It will be understood that the spatially relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use and / or
[0040] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the disclosure. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms "comprises" and / or "comprising", when used in this specification, specify the presence of 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 thereof. As used herein the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.
[0041] For a thorough understanding of the present disclosure, reference should be made to the following detailed description together with the accompanying drawings, in which:
[0042] In actual use, the power amplifier needs to meet the gain requirements of high and low temperature. Because in high temperature environment, the gain of the power amplifier will decrease; in low temperature environment, the gain of the power amplifier will increase. In order to reduce the gain difference of the power amplifier at high and low temperatures, it is necessary to design a gain-variable power amplifier. At the same time, because the stability and burning of the power amplifier are directly related to the gain, specifically, the higher the gain of the power amplifier, the worse the stability, and the more likely to burn. Therefore, in order to further improve the performance of the power amplifier, it is necessary to design a gain-variable power amplifier.
[0043] Figure 1 For an example of the circuit diagram of the power amplifier. 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 base of the transistor Q' and the base of the transistor Q" are respectively configured to receive a differential signal, and output the differential signal amplified by the collector thereof to the second balun 102, which is configured to convert the amplified differential signal from differential transmission to single-end transmission to output a radio frequency output signal.
[0044] In the prior art, the gain of the power amplifier 100 can only be adjusted by the bias circuit of the transistor Q' and the transistor Q". However, this will cause the indicators such as linearity and efficiency of the power amplifier 100 to deteriorate. Therefore, Figure 1 The power amplifier 100 shown in the prior art is difficult to achieve a balance between linearity and efficiency while adjusting the gain in actual use.
[0045] Therefore, the embodiments of the present disclosure provide a gain-variable power amplifier, which can achieve a balance between gain, linearity, and efficiency in actual use.
[0046] Figure 2 A circuit diagram of a first power amplifier provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure is shown in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 1, Figure 2 The embodiments of the present disclosure provide a power amplifier 200, which includes an input module 201 configured to receive a radio frequency input signal and output at least two first signals having 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 respectively receive the first signals and output amplified signals; and an adjustment module 205 coupled to the amplification module 202. The adjustment module 205 is configured to output an adjustment signal based on the amplified signals output by the first amplification unit 203 and / or the second amplification unit 204. The amplified signals and the corresponding adjustment signals 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 embodiments of the present disclosure, the adjustment module 205 is introduced compared to the power amplifier in the prior art, which can adjust the gain according to the output signal of the amplification unit, and achieve adjustment of the gain without affecting the balance of indicators such as linearity and efficiency. Moreover, the power amplifier 200 in the present disclosure has better design freedom and better performance.
[0048] In some embodiments, the input module 201 includes a balun configured to convert the radio frequency input signal received by the power amplifier 200 from single-end transmission to differential transmission. As shown in FIG. 2, Figure 2As shown, the input module 201 includes one input end and two output ends, i.e., a first input end 206, a first output end 207 and a second output end 208. The first input end is coupled with the radio frequency input end RFIN for receiving a radio frequency input signal, and the first output end and the second output end output first signals with a phase difference based on the radio frequency input signal, respectively.
[0049] In some embodiments, the input module 201 can also include other structures, such as a power divider and the like, for converting a single-ended signal into a multi-ended signal.
[0050] In some embodiments, the power of the multi-channel signals output by the input module 201 can be equally divided or proportionally allocated, such as 1:3, 1:2, 1:4, etc.
[0051] In some embodiments, the phase difference of the multi-channel 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 amplitude.
[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 signals with a phase difference and output amplification signals based on the first signals. It should be noted that the first amplification unit 203 and the second amplification unit 204 have the same structure. When the first signal is a differential signal, the amplification signals output by the first amplification unit 203 and the second amplification unit 204 are differential signals, respectively.
[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., which are not limited in the present application.
[0055] In some embodiments, 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 used to amplify the first signal to obtain the amplification signal.
[0056] As shown, the input module 201 includes one input end and two output ends, i.e., a first input end 206, a first output end 207 and a second output end 208. The first input end is coupled with the radio frequency input end RFIN for receiving a radio frequency input signal, and the first output end and the second output end output first signals with a phase difference based on the radio frequency input signal, respectively. Figure 2As shown, the first amplification unit 203 includes a first transistor Q1, and the second amplification unit 204 includes a second transistor Q2. The control terminal 209 of the first transistor Q1 is connected to the first output terminal 207 of the input module 201, for receiving the 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 embodiment 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 embodiment 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 signal output by the first amplification unit 203 and / or the second amplification unit 204.
[0058] In some embodiments, the adjustment module has one adjustment unit, an input terminal of which is connected to the output terminal of one of the first amplification unit and the second amplification unit, for coupling the output signal; and an output terminal of which is connected to the output terminal of the other of the first amplification unit and the second amplification unit, for superimposing with 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 of the adjustment unit 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 of the adjustment unit 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 with 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 with the second amplified signal output by the second amplification unit to obtain the first output signal.
[0060] In some embodiments, the adjustment signal output by the adjustment unit is the same in 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] As Figure 2As shown, the adjusting module includes a first adjusting unit 215 and a second adjusting unit 216, wherein the first adjusting unit 215 is configured to receive the second amplified signal and output a first adjusting signal to the first end 210 of the first transistor Q1 based on the second amplified signal. At this time, the first adjusting signal is superimposed with the first amplified signal output by the first amplifying unit 203 to obtain the first output signal. That is, the first adjusting unit 215 realizes the adjustment of the first amplified signal. Similarly, the second adjusting unit 216 is configured to receive the first amplified signal and output a second adjusting signal to the first end 213 of the second transistor Q2 based on the first amplified signal. At this time, the second adjusting signal is superimposed with the second amplified signal output by the second amplifying unit 204 to obtain the first output signal. That is, the second adjusting unit 216 realizes the adjustment of the second amplified signal.
[0062] In some embodiments, the adjusting module includes a third transistor and a fourth transistor, and the third transistor and the fourth transistor are configured to amplify the amplified signal to obtain the adjusting signal.
[0063] As shown, Figure 2 the first adjusting unit 215 includes a third transistor Q3, and the second adjusting unit 216 includes a fourth transistor Q4. Among them, the third transistor Q3 is configured to amplify the received second amplified signal to obtain the first adjusting signal. The fourth transistor Q4 is configured to amplify the received first amplified signal to obtain the second adjusting signal.
[0064] In some embodiments, as shown, Figure 2 the control end 218 of the third transistor Q3 is coupled with the first end 213 of the second transistor Q2, and the first end 219 of the third transistor Q3 is coupled with the first end 210 of the first transistor Q1; the control end 221 of the fourth transistor Q4 is coupled with the first end 210 of the first transistor Q1, and the first end 222 of the fourth transistor Q4 is coupled with 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 transistor, or a field effect transistor, such as a MOS tube. Among them, each transistor can be of the same type or different type, and the present application does not make any limitation. When the transistor is a heterojunction bipolar transistor, its control end can be its base, its first end can be its collector, and its second end can be its emitter.
[0066] In some embodiments, each amplification unit may also be connected to multiple adjustment units to adjust the gain according to different adjustment units. For example, the first amplification unit is connected to two adjustment units, the input terminals of the two adjustment units are both connected to the output terminal of the first amplification unit, and the output terminals of the two adjustment units are both connected to the output terminal of the second amplification unit. The two amplification units have different gains, and the two amplification units can be turned on simultaneously or in a time-division manner to adjust the gain of the amplifier as needed.
[0067] In this 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, and is used to isolate the DC power supply signal connected to the first terminal 213 of the second transistor Q2. Figure 2 (Not shown in the image). 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 supply signal connected to the first terminal 210 of the first transistor Q1. Figure 2 (Not shown in the image). Here, the arrangement of the first capacitor C1 and the second capacitor C2 introduces positive feedback into the power amplifier 200, thereby further increasing the gain of the power amplifier 200.
[0068] In some embodiments, the amplified signal and the adjustment signal are in phase.
[0069] like Figure 2 As shown, the input module 201 can output at least two first signals with a phase difference based on the RF input signal. The input and output signals of the first amplification unit, the second amplification unit, and the adjustment unit are all out of phase. Therefore, the first adjustment signal output by the first adjustment unit connected to the output of the second amplification unit has the same phase as the first amplified signal output by the first amplification unit, and the second adjustment signal output by the second adjustment unit connected to the output of the first amplification unit has the same phase as the second amplified signal output by the second amplification unit. At this time, the amplitude of the first output signal obtained by superimposing the first adjustment 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 adjustment signal and the second amplified signal is greater than the amplitude of the second amplified signal, thus increasing the gain of the power amplifier 200.
[0070] In some embodiments, the phases of the superimposed adjustment signals and the amplified signals can also be opposite, in which case the adjustment unit is used to reduce the gain of the amplifier.
[0071] Figure 3 A circuit diagram of a second power amplifier 300 provided in an embodiment of this disclosure. (See diagram below.)Figure 3 As shown, the adjusting module 305 includes a first adjusting unit 215 and a second adjusting unit 216, wherein the input signal and the output signal of the first adjusting unit 215 and the second adjusting unit 216 are of the same phase. Since the input signal and the output signal of the first amplifying unit 203 and the second amplifying unit 204 are of opposite phases, the first adjusting signal output by the first adjusting unit 215 connected to the output terminal of the second amplifying unit 204 is of opposite phase to the first amplifying signal output by the first amplifying unit 203, thereby reducing the gain of the power amplifier 300.
[0072] In some embodiments, the first adjusting unit 215 includes a third transistor Q3, and the second adjusting unit 216 includes a fourth transistor Q4. The third transistor Q3 and the fourth transistor Q4 are connected in common collector mode or common drain 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 terminal 219 of the third transistor Q3 and the first terminal 222 of the fourth transistor Q4 are connected to the power voltage terminal for receiving the power voltage V CC As shown, the first adjusting signal output by the first adjusting unit 215 is of opposite phase to the first amplifying signal output by the first amplifying unit 203, thereby reducing the gain of the power amplifier 300. Figure 3 It is to be noted that, at this time, V CC is greater than the feeding voltage of the amplifying unit, for example, twice the feeding voltage.
[0073] In some embodiments, the adjusting module further includes a phase adjusting unit for changing the phase of the adjusting signal output by the adjusting module. For example, through phase adjustment, the input signal and the output signal of the adjusting module are of the same phase or opposite phase. The phase adjusting unit can be connected to the input terminal of the adjusting module or connected to the output terminal of the adjusting module, which is not limited in the present application.
[0074] In some embodiments, by adding a phase adjusting unit in the Figure 2 , the input signal and the output signal of the adjusting module are of the same phase, thereby making the first adjusting signal and the second adjusting signal of opposite phase, and further reducing the gain of the amplifier.
[0075] In some embodiments, by adding a phase adjusting unit in the Figure 3 embodiments, the first adjusting signal and the second adjusting signal are of the same phase, at this time, since the first adjusting unit is a follower, it does not have amplification function, and the gain of the amplifier is still reduced.
[0076] In some embodiments, the first adjusting unit further comprises a first phase adjusting unit, and the second adjusting unit further comprises a second phase adjusting unit; the first phase adjusting unit is configured to adjust a second signal output by the third transistor based on the amplified signal, and output an adjusted signal; and the second phase adjusting unit is configured to adjust a second signal output by the fourth transistor based on the amplified signal, and output an adjusted signal. It should be noted that the first phase adjusting unit or the second phase adjusting unit can be omitted, and in this case, only one signal phase is adjusted.
[0077] Figure 4 A third circuit diagram of the power amplifier 400 is provided in the embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 4 the adjusting module 405 comprises a first adjusting unit 415 and a second adjusting unit 416. The first adjusting unit 415 comprises a third transistor Q3 and a first phase adjusting 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 adjusting unit 401. The second adjusting unit 416 comprises a fourth transistor Q4 and a second phase adjusting 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 adjusting 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 the first end 219 based on the received second amplified signal, and the first phase adjusting unit 401 is configured to adjust the second signal and output a first adjusted signal. The fourth transistor Q4 can output a second signal from the first end 222 based on the received first amplified signal, and the second phase adjusting unit 402 is configured to adjust the second signal and output a second adjusted signal. In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the adjustment of the second signal by the first phase adjusting unit 401 and the second phase adjusting unit 402 comprises adjustment of the phase of the second signal, for example, inversion of the second signal.
[0078] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the first phase adjusting unit 401 and the second phase adjusting unit 402 comprise inverters or phase shifters.
[0079] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the power amplifier further comprises an output module 224. In some embodiments, the output module 224 comprises a balun, and the balun is configured to convert the differentially transmitted first output signal into a single-ended transmitted radio frequency output signal. As shown in Figure 2As shown, the output module 224 includes two input terminals and one output terminal, i.e., a second input terminal 225, a third input terminal 226, and a third output terminal 227. The second input terminal 225 is connected to the first terminal 210 of the first transistor Q1, and the third input terminal 226 is connected to the first terminal 213 of the second transistor Q2. Both the second input terminal 225 and the third input terminal 226 are configured to receive the first output signal. The third output terminal 227 is coupled to the radio frequency output terminal RFOUT and configured to output the radio frequency output signal. In other embodiments, the output module can have other structures for converting a multi-terminal signal into a single-terminal signal, which is not limited in the present application.
[0080] In some embodiments, the amplification module is further configured to receive a first bias signal, and output 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. 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] Reference Figures 2 to 4 The control terminal 209 of the first transistor Q1 and the control terminal 212 of the second transistor Q2 are further configured to receive a first bias signal (not shown in the figure). 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 further configured to receive a second bias signal (not shown in the figure). The third transistor Q3 can output a first adjusted 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 adjusted signal. The fourth transistor Q4 can output a second adjusted 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 adjusted 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, the size of the first bias signal remains unchanged during the use of the power amplifier. Here, since the size 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, in a normal temperature environment, if the size of the first bias signal remains unchanged, the swing of the first amplified signal output by the first transistor Q1 and the swing of the second amplified signal output by the second transistor Q2 remain unchanged. However, when the external environment temperature rises, if the size of the first bias signal remains unchanged, the swing of the first amplified signal output by the first transistor Q1 and the swing of the second amplified signal output by the second transistor Q2 decrease. Moreover, the more the external environment temperature rises, the more the swing of the amplified signal decreases. Here, it can be understood that, in the case where the power amplifier does not include the adjustment module, if the swing of the amplified signal decreases, the gain of the power amplifier also decreases.
[0085] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the size of the second bias signal changes with the change of the external environment temperature. Specifically, the higher the external environment temperature, the larger the second bias signal; the lower the external environment temperature, the smaller the second bias signal. Here, since the size of the second bias signal changes with the change of the external environment temperature, at different temperatures, different second bias signals can be used to control the turn-on or turn-off of the third transistor Q3 and the fourth transistor Q4. Moreover, in the case where the second bias signal controls the turn-on of the third transistor Q3 and the fourth transistor Q4, according to different second bias signals, the size of the swing of the first adjustment signal output by the third transistor Q3 and the swing of the second adjustment signal output by the fourth transistor Q4 can also be controlled.
[0086] In a specific embodiment, when the external environment temperature rises more than the normal temperature, the swing of the first adjustment signal output by the third transistor Q3 is larger, and the swing of the second adjustment signal output by the fourth transistor Q4 is also larger. So that the swing of the first output signal obtained by superimposing the first amplified signal and the corresponding first adjustment signal is also larger, so that the gain of the power amplifier is greatly improved.
[0087] In another specific embodiment, when the external environment temperature rises less than the normal temperature, the swing of the first adjustment signal output by the third transistor Q3 is smaller, and the swing of the second adjustment signal output by the fourth transistor Q4 is also smaller. So that the swing of the first output signal obtained by superimposing the first amplified signal and the corresponding first adjustment signal is also smaller, so that the gain of the power amplifier is slightly improved.
[0088] Here, the part of the gain that is improved can compensate for the loss of gain caused by the decrease in the swing of the amplified signal. That is, the actual gain of the power amplifier after gain adjustment can be flexibly controlled within a certain threshold range, thereby reducing the difference in gain at different temperatures.
[0089] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the size of the first bias signal can be smaller than the size of the second bias signal. For example, the size of the second bias signal can be 1 to 2 times the size 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 adjusting module is used to reduce the gain of the amplifier, the second bias signal can also be smaller than the first bias signal.
[0091] Generally, the first transistor Q1 and the second transistor Q2 in the amplifying module 202 can be designed in AB class or B class 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 adjusting module are designed in A class, so that the connected bias signals of 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, the gain can be increased, 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 can obtain 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 in which the external environment 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 environment temperature, thereby improving the performance of the amplifier.
[0093] The present disclosure provides a power amplifier, 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 amplifying module, comprising a first amplifying unit and a second amplifying unit, configured to receive the first signals respectively and output amplifying signals; an adjusting module, coupled with the amplifying module; the adjusting module is configured to output an adjusting signal based on the amplifying signals output by the first amplifying unit and / or the second amplifying unit; the amplifying signals and the corresponding adjusting signals are superimposed to obtain a first output signal, and the amplitude of the first output signal is different from that of the corresponding amplifying signal. In the embodiments of the present disclosure, by arranging the adjusting module in the power amplifier and using the adjusting module to feedback adjust the amplifying signals, the first output signal with an amplitude different from the amplifying signal is obtained, so that the gain of the power amplifier is adjusted. Moreover, while realizing the gain adjustment, the balance of other indicators (linearity, efficiency, etc.) of the power amplifier is realized.
[0094] It should be understood that the term "in one embodiment" or "in an embodiment" as used throughout this specification means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with an embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the disclosure. Therefore, appearances of the phrase "in one embodiment" or "in an embodiment" in various places throughout the specification are not necessarily referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, or characteristics can be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. It should be understood that the sequence of the above-mentioned processes does not mean the execution order, and the execution order of the processes should be determined according to the functions and inherent logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of the disclosure. The sequence of the above-mentioned embodiments of the disclosure is only for description, and does not represent the advantages or disadvantages of the embodiments.
[0095] The preferred embodiments of the disclosure are described above, and the patent scope of the disclosure is not limited thereto. Any equivalent structure transformation made according to the disclosure, or direct / indirect application in other related technical fields within the concept of the disclosure is included in the patent protection scope of the disclosure.
Claims
1. A power amplifier, characterized by, The power amplifier comprises: 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 amplification signals; an adjustment module coupled with the amplification module, configured to output an adjustment signal based on the amplification signals output by the first amplification unit and / or the second amplification unit; the amplification signals and the corresponding adjustment signals are superimposed to obtain a first output signal, and the amplitude of the first output signal is different from that of the corresponding amplification signal; the adjustment module comprises a first adjustment unit and a second adjustment unit, the first adjustment unit outputs a first adjustment signal based on the second amplification signal output by the second amplification unit, and the first adjustment signal and the first amplification 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 amplification signal output by the first amplification unit, and the second adjustment signal and the second amplification signal output by the second amplification unit are superimposed to obtain the first output signal; or the adjustment module has an adjustment unit, the input end of which is connected with the output end of one of the first amplification unit and the second amplification unit, and is configured to couple the output signal; the output end of the adjustment unit is connected with the output end of the other one of the first amplification unit and the second amplification unit, and is configured to superimpose the output signal.
2. The power amplifier according to claim 1, wherein: the first amplification unit comprises a first transistor, and the second amplification unit comprises a second transistor, the first transistor and the second transistor are configured to amplify the first signals to obtain the amplification signals; the adjustment module comprises a third transistor and a fourth transistor, the third transistor and the fourth transistor are configured to amplify the amplification signals to obtain the adjustment signals. a control end of the third transistor is coupled with a first end of the second transistor, and a first end of the third transistor is coupled with a first end of the first transistor; 3. The power amplifier of claim 2, wherein, a control end of the fourth transistor is coupled with the first end of the first transistor, and a first end of the fourth transistor is coupled with the first end of the second transistor; a second end of the third transistor and a second end of the fourth transistor are grounded.
4. The power amplifier according to claim 2, wherein: the control end of the third transistor is coupled with the first end of the second transistor, and the second end of the third transistor is connected with the first end of the first transistor; the control end of the fourth transistor is coupled with the first end of the first transistor, and the second end of the fourth transistor is connected with the first end of the second transistor; the first end of the third transistor and the first end of the fourth transistor are connected with a power voltage end. the adjustment module further comprises a phase adjustment unit configured to change the phase of the adjustment signal output by the adjustment module.
5. The power amplifier of claim 2, wherein, 6. The power amplifier according to claim 5, wherein: A first end of the third transistor is coupled with the first end of the first transistor through a first phase adjusting unit, and a control end of the third transistor is coupled with a first end of the second transistor; A first end of the fourth transistor is coupled with the first end of the second transistor through a second phase adjusting unit, and a control end of the fourth transistor is coupled with the first end of the first transistor; A second end of the third transistor and a second end of the fourth transistor are grounded.
7. The power amplifier of any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein, The amplification module is further configured to receive a first bias signal, The amplification module is configured to output the amplified signal based on the first bias signal and the first signal; The adjusting module is further configured to receive a second bias signal; The adjusting module is turned on or off by the second bias signal, and the second bias signal is greater than the first bias signal.
8. The power amplifier of any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein, The first signal comprises differential signals with opposite phases and the same amplitude.
9. The power amplifier of any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein, The amplified signal has the same phase as the adjusted signal.
Citation Information
Patent Citations
Radio frequency power amplifier and communication device
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RF power amplifiers and RF chips
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