Multi-transmission radio frequency front-end circuit

Abstract

A multi-transmission radio frequency (RF) front-end circuit is provided. Herein, a pair of power amplifiers is configured to amplify an RF signal based on a pair of modulated voltages generated by a pair of power management integrated circuits (PMICs). Considering concurrent transmission of the RF signal, such as uplink multiple input multiple output (MIMO), the total output power of the power amplifier does not exceed a certain power limit. Accordingly, one of the power amplifiers may be a higher power level power amplifier to output higher power, while another of the power amplifiers may be a lower power level power amplifier to output lower power. This provides an opportunity for one of the PMICs to become a lower power level PMIC to help reduce the footprint of the multi-transmit RF front-end circuit.

Description

[0001] Cross-reference to related applications

[0002] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 63 / 483,993, filed on February 9, 2023, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 63 / 466,917, filed on May 16, 2023, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties. Technical Field

[0003] The technology of the present disclosure generally relates to a radio frequency (RF) front-end circuit capable of supporting concurrent transmissions. Background Art

[0004] Mobile communication devices have become increasingly ubiquitous in today's society for providing wireless communication services. The popularity of these mobile communication devices is driven in part by the many features now enabled on such devices. Increased processing power in such devices has meant that mobile communication devices have evolved from mere communication tools to sophisticated mobile multimedia centers capable of enhancing the user experience.

[0005] State-of-the-art mobile communication devices must be able to transmit radio frequency (RF) signals in various wireless communication systems, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE) and New Radio (NR), based on a variety of transmission / reception configurations, such as uplink / downlink multiple-input multiple-output (UL / DL-MIMO), enhanced dual connectivity (EN-DC), and diversity reception (DRX). For example, numerous multi-transmission proposals have been proposed for the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Release 18 to support concurrent UL-MIMO and EN-DC transmissions across multiple RF bands. In this regard, wireless communication devices are required to simultaneously transmit at least three RF signals (2xMIMO + 1xEN-DC). Summary of the Invention

[0006] Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a multi-transmission radio frequency (RF) front-end circuit. Herein, a pair of power amplifiers are configured to amplify RF signals based on a pair of modulation voltages generated by a pair of power management integrated circuits (PMICs). Taking into account the concurrent transmission of RF signals, such as uplink multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO), the total output power of the power amplifiers must not exceed a certain power limit (e.g., 26dBm). In this regard, one of the power amplifiers can amplify the RF signal to a higher power (e.g., 27dBm), while the other of the power amplifiers can amplify the RF signal to a lower power (e.g., 21dBm). Therefore, one of the power amplifiers can be a higher power class power amplifier for outputting higher power, while the other of the power amplifiers can be a lower power class power amplifier for outputting lower power. This provides an opportunity to make one of the PMICs a lower power class PMIC to help reduce the occupied area of the multi-transmission RF front-end circuit.

[0007] In one aspect, a multi-transmit RF front-end circuit is provided. The multi-transmit RF front-end circuit includes a pair of power amplifiers. Each power amplifier in the pair is configured to amplify an RF signal for concurrent transmission based on a selected one of a pair of modulation voltages. The multi-transmit RF front-end circuit further includes a higher power class PMIC and a lower power class PMIC. Each of the higher power class PMIC and the lower power class PMIC is configured to generate a corresponding one of the pair of modulation voltages. The multi-transmit RF front-end circuit further includes a switching circuit. The switching circuit is configured to couple each of the pair of power amplifiers to a selected one of the higher power class PMIC and the lower power class PMIC to receive the selected one of the pair of modulation voltages.

[0008] In another aspect, a wireless device is provided. The wireless device includes transmission circuitry. The transmission circuitry includes a pair of power amplifiers. Each power amplifier in the pair of power amplifiers is configured to amplify an RF signal for concurrent transmission based on a selected one of a pair of modulation voltages. The transmission circuitry further includes a higher power class PMIC and a lower power class PMIC. The higher power class PMIC and the lower power class PMIC are each configured to generate a corresponding one of the pair of modulation voltages. The wireless device further includes antenna switching circuitry. The antenna switching circuitry includes a switch circuit. The switch circuit is configured to couple each of the pair of power amplifiers to a selected one of the higher power class PMIC and the lower power class PMIC to receive the selected one of the pair of modulation voltages.

[0009] In another aspect, a method for operating a multi-transmit RF front-end circuit is provided. The method includes configuring a pair of power amplifiers to each amplify an RF signal based on a selected one of a pair of modulation voltages for concurrent transmission. The method also includes configuring a higher power class PMIC and a lower power class PMIC to each generate a corresponding one of the pair of modulation voltages. The method also includes configuring a switching circuit to couple each of the pair of power amplifiers to a selected one of the higher power class PMIC and the lower power class PMIC to receive the selected one of the pair of modulation voltages.

[0010] Those skilled in the art will appreciate the scope of the present disclosure and become aware of additional aspects thereof after reading the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments and the associated drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] The accompanying drawings incorporated in and forming a part of this specification illustrate several aspects of the disclosure and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the disclosure.

[0012] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary prior art multi-transmit radio frequency (RF) front-end circuit requiring three power class 2 (PC2) power management integrated circuits (PMICs) to support three simultaneous transmissions; and

[0013] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary multi-transmit RF front-end circuit configured to support three simultaneous transmissions based on a pair of PC2 PMICs and a power class 3 (PC3) PMIC according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0014] Figures 3A-3C To provide Figure 2 schematic diagrams illustrating exemplary various operational scenarios of a multi-transmit RF front-end circuit;

[0015] Figure 4 To be available Figure 2 a schematic diagram of an exemplary PMIC as either a PC2 PMIC or a PC3 PMIC in a multi-transmit RF front-end circuit;

[0016] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary user element, which may provide Figure 2 Multi-transmit RF front-end circuitry; and

[0017] Figure 6 For operation Figure 2 Flowchart of an exemplary process of a multi-transmit RF front-end circuit. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0018] The embodiments described below represent the information necessary to enable those skilled in the art to practice the embodiments and illustrate the best mode for practicing the embodiments. After reading the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings, those skilled in the art will understand the concepts of the present disclosure and will appreciate applications of these concepts not specifically described herein. It should be understood that these concepts and applications are within the scope of the present disclosure and the appended claims.

[0019] It will be understood that although the terms first, second, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish different elements. For example, without departing from the scope of this disclosure, a first element may be referred to as a second element, and similarly, a second element may be referred to as a first element. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more items in the associated listed items.

[0020] It should be understood that when an element, such as a layer, region, or substrate, is referred to as being "on another element" or "extending onto another element," it may be directly located on the other element or directly extended onto the other element, or there may be intermediate elements. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being "directly on another element" or "extending directly onto another element," there are no intermediate elements. Similarly, it should be understood that when an element, such as a layer, region, or substrate, is referred to as being "located on another element" or "extending onto another element," it may be directly located on the other element or directly extended onto the other element, or there may be intermediate elements. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being "directly on another element" or "extending directly onto another element," there are no intermediate elements. It will also be understood that when an element is referred to as being "connected" or "coupled" to another element, it may be directly connected or coupled to the other element, or there may be intermediate elements. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being "directly connected" or "directly coupled" to another element, there are no intermediate elements.

[0021] Relative terms, such as "below" or "above" or "upper" or "lower" or "horizontal" or "vertical," may be used herein to describe one element, layer, or region's relationship to another element, layer, or region as illustrated in the figures. It will be understood that these terms and those discussed above are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures.

[0022] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the present disclosure. As used herein, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well. It will also be understood that when used herein, the terms "comprises," "comprising," "includes," and / or "including" 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.

[0023] Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs. It should be further understood that, unless expressly defined herein, the terms used herein should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with their meaning in the context of this specification and the relevant art, and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense.

[0024] Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a multi-transmission radio frequency (RF) front-end circuit. Herein, a pair of power amplifiers are configured to amplify RF signals based on a pair of modulation voltages generated by a pair of power management integrated circuits (PMICs). Taking into account the concurrent transmission of RF signals, such as uplink multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO), the total output power of the power amplifiers must not exceed a certain power limit (e.g., 26dBm). In this regard, one of the power amplifiers can amplify the RF signal to a higher power (e.g., 27dBm), while the other of the power amplifiers can amplify the RF signal to a lower power (e.g., 21dBm). Therefore, one of the power amplifiers can be a higher power class power amplifier for outputting higher power, while the other of the power amplifiers can be a lower power class power amplifier for outputting lower power. This provides an opportunity to make one of the PMICs a lower power class PMIC to help reduce the occupied area of the multi-transmission RF front-end circuit.

[0025] Before discussing the multi-transmit RF front-end circuit of the present disclosure, Figure 2 To begin, a brief overview of an existing multi-transmission RF front-end circuit is first provided with reference to FIG. 1 to help explain the technical problems to be solved by the multi-transmission RF front-end circuit of the present disclosure.

[0026] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary conventional multi-transmit RF front-end circuit 10 that requires three power class 2 (PC2) power management integrated circuits (PMICs) 12, 14, and 16 to support three simultaneous transmissions. The conventional multi-transmit RF front-end circuit 10 includes a first antenna 18, a second antenna 20, and a third antenna 22. For example, the first antenna 18 is configured to transmit a first RF signal 24 as an anchor signal for enhanced dual connectivity (EN-DC), while the second antenna 20 and the third antenna 22 are configured to transmit a second RF signal 26 as a pair of uplink MIMO (UL-MIMO) signals. According to the multi-transmit proposal outlined in Release 18 of the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), the first RF signal 24 and the second RF signal 26 need to be transmitted simultaneously.

[0027] The conventional multi-transmission RF front-end circuit 10 includes a first power amplifier 28, a second power amplifier 30, and a third power amplifier 32. The first power amplifier 28 is configured to modulate the power of the first power amplifier 28 based on the first modulation voltage V CC1 (eg, envelope tracking voltage) to amplify the first RF signal 24, the second power amplifier 30 is configured to amplify the first RF signal 24 based on the second modulation voltage V CC2 (eg, envelope tracking voltage) to amplify the second RF signal 26, and the third power amplifier 32 is further configured to amplify the second RF signal 26 based on the third modulation voltage V CC3 (e.g., envelope tracking voltage) to amplify the second RF signal 26. Given that in 3GPP Release 18, each of the first RF signal 24 and the second RF signal 26 can be transmitted with a transmission power of up to PC2 (e.g., 26 dBm), the existing multi-transmit RF front-end circuit 10 requires PC2 PMICs 12, 14, 16 to meet the 3GPP transmission power requirements.

[0028] It is understood that by adopting PC2 PMICs 12, 14, and 16, the conventional multi-transmit RF front-end circuit 10 will inadvertently require a larger footprint, which is undesirable considering the increasingly scarce board space in mobile communication devices. Therefore, the technical problem to be solved herein is to support multiple simultaneous transmissions while reducing the footprint of the conventional multi-transmit RF front-end circuit.

[0029] In this regard, Figure 2 FIG2 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary multi-transmit RF front-end circuit 34 configured to support three simultaneous transmissions based on a pair of PC2 PMICs 36, 38 (also referred to as “higher power class PMICs”) and a power class 3 (PC3) PMIC 40 (also referred to as “lower power class PMIC”) in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. To distinguish it from the PC2 PMIC 36, the PC2 PMIC 38 is also referred to as the “second PC2 PMIC 38” hereinafter.

[0030] In this text, the key difference between the multi-transmission RF front-end circuit 34 and the existing multi-transmission RF front-end circuit 10 of FIG. 1 is that the PC3 PMIC 40 replaces one of the PC2 PMICs 12, 14, 16 in the existing multi-transmission RF front-end circuit 10. Since the PC3 PMIC 40 is estimated to be twenty percent (20%) smaller than any one of the PC2 PMICs 12, 14, 16, the multi-transmission RF front-end circuit 34 can be implemented in a smaller footprint compared to the existing multi-transmission RF front-end circuit 10. Therefore, the multi-transmission RF front-end circuit 34 can provide a solution to the above technical problem.

[0031] In an embodiment, the multi-transmission RF front-end circuit 34 includes a pair of power amplifiers 42, 44 (also referred to as the first and second power amplifiers). Each of the power amplifiers 42, 44 is configured to amplify an RF signal 46 to a pair of output powers P CC1 、V CC2 based on a selected one of a pair of modulation voltages V OUT1 、P OUT2 . In a non-limiting example, the RF signal 46 amplified by the power amplifiers 42, 44 will be transmitted simultaneously from a pair of antennas 48, 50 as a pair of UL-MIMO signals. In this embodiment, the multi-transmission RF front-end circuit 34 further includes a third power amplifier 52. The third power amplifier 52 is configured to amplify a second RF signal 54 to a corresponding output power P CC3 based on the modulation voltage V OUT3 . In a non-limiting example, the output power P OUT3 is between PC3 and PC2 (PC3 < P OUT3 < PC2). In this text, the second RF signal 54 can be an EN-DC anchor signal, which is configured to be transmitted from a third antenna 56.

[0032] In this text, the multi-transmission RF front-end circuit 34 is configured to simultaneously transmit a pair of UL-MIMO signals 48, 50 and an EN-DC anchor signal 54. Therefore, the multi-transmission RF front-end circuit 34 can also support three concurrent transmissions, as is the case with the existing multi-transmission RF front-end circuit 10.

[0033] Compared to the existing multi-transmission RF front-end circuit 10, the multi-transmission RF front-end circuit 34 is configured to utilize the fact that for UL-MIMO transmission, only the sum of the output powers P OUT1 、P OUT2 can be up to the maximum power level of PC2 (i.e., 26 dBm). In this regard, one of the output powers P OUT1 、P OUT2 may be higher than the maximum power level of PC2, while the output power POUT1 、P OUT2 The other one of the power amplifiers 42 and 44 may be lower than the maximum power level of PC3 (i.e., 23 dBm). In other words, one of the power amplifiers 42 and 44 may be used as the PC2 power amplifier, while the other one of the power amplifiers 42 and 44 may be used as the PC3 power amplifier. Therefore, it is possible to generate the modulation voltage V CC1 、V CC2 One of them is used as PC2 voltage, and the modulation voltage V is generated CC1 、V CC2 The other one is used as PC3 voltage. Therefore, it is possible to use Figure 2 The PC3 PMIC 40 in FIG. 1 replaces one of the PC2 PMICs 12 , 14 , 16 to help reduce the footprint of the multi-transmit RF front-end circuit 34 .

[0034] In this paper, PC2 PMIC 36 is configured to generate a modulation voltage V CC1 As PC2 voltage, and PC3 PMIC40 is configured to generate the modulation voltage V CC2 As PC3 voltage. In order to be able to modulate the voltage V based on different transmission scenarios CC1 、V CC2 To flexibly route to any of the power amplifiers 42, 44, the multi-transmit RF front-end circuit 34 also includes a switching circuit 58. In an embodiment, the switching circuit 58 includes switches S1, S2, S3, and S4, which can be any type of switch deemed suitable. In a non-limiting example, the switches S1, S2, S3, and S4 can be controlled individually or collectively by the transceiver circuit 60 via a control signal 62. Figures 3A-3C As discussed in , the switch circuit 58 can be controlled to couple each of the power amplifiers 42, 44 to a selected one of the PC2 PMIC 36 and the PC3 PMIC 40 to receive the modulation voltage V CC1 、V CC2 The selected one.

[0035] Figures 3A-3C To provide Figure 2 Schematic diagrams of exemplary illustrations of various operating scenarios of the multi-transmit RF front-end circuit 34. Figure 2 and 3A Common elements between the -3C are shown with common element numbers therein and will not be re-described here.

[0036] refer to Figure 3A , the power amplifier 42 is configured to amplify the RF signal 46 to an output power P higher than or equal to PC3 but lower than PC2 OUT1, and the power amplifier 44 is configured to amplify the RF signal 46 to an output power lower than the output power P of PC3 OUT2 In this regard, the switching circuit 58 can be controlled to close switches S1, S4 and open switches S2, S3. Thus, the power amplifier 42 will receive the modulation voltage V generated by the PC2 PMIC 36. CC1 , and the power amplifier 44 will receive the modulation voltage V generated by the PC3 PMIC 40 CC2 .

[0037] refer to Figure 3B The power amplifier 42 is configured to amplify the RF signal 46 to an output power P higher than PC3 but lower than PC2. OUT1 Likewise, the power amplifier 44 is also configured to amplify the RF signal 46 to an output power P higher than PC3 but lower than PC2. OUT2 In this regard, the switching circuit 58 can be controlled to close switches S1, S4 and open switches S2, S3. Thus, the power amplifier 42 will receive the modulation voltage V generated by the PC2 PMIC 36. CC1 , and the power amplifier 44 will receive the modulation voltage V generated by the PC3PMIC 40 CC2 .

[0038] Alternatively, the switching circuit 58 may be controlled to close switches S2, S3 and open switches S1, S4. Thus, the power amplifier 42 will receive the modulation voltage V generated by the PC3 PMIC 40. CC2 , and the power amplifier 44 will receive the modulation voltage V generated by PC2 PMIC36 CC1 .

[0039] refer to Figure 3C , the power amplifier 42 is configured to amplify the RF signal 46 to an output power lower than the output power P of PC3 OUT1 , and the power amplifier 44 is configured to amplify the RF signal 46 to an output power P higher than or equal to PC3 but lower than PC2 OUT2 In this regard, the switching circuit 58 can be controlled to close switches S2 and S3 and open switches S1 and S4. Therefore, the power amplifier 42 will receive the modulation voltage V generated by the PC3 PMIC 40. CC2 , and the power amplifier 44 will receive the modulation voltage V generated by PC2 PMIC 36 CC1 .

[0040] Figure 4 To be available Figure 2 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary PMIC 64 as any one of the PC2 PMICs 36 , 38 and the PC3 PMIC 40 in the multi-transmit RF front-end circuit 34 of FIG. Figure 2 and Figure 4 Common elements therebetween are shown here with common element numbers and will not be re-described herein.

[0041] In an embodiment, the PMIC 64 includes a multi-stage charge pump (MCP) 66 coupled in series to a power inductor 68. In a non-limiting example, the MCP 66 may be a buck-boost DC-DC voltage converter that may be operated based on a defined duty cycle to generate a low frequency voltage V DC The power inductor 68 is configured to be based on the low frequency voltage V DC To induce low frequency current I DC .

[0042] PMIC 64 also includes an offset capacitor C coupled in series with the OFF The voltage amplifier 70 is configured to generate an initial modulation voltage V AMP To track the modulation target voltage V TGT In an embodiment, the target voltage V TGT Can be generated by the transceiver circuit 60. Offset capacitor C OFF is configured to set the initial modulation voltage V AMP Increase the offset voltage V OFF , thereby generating a modulation voltage V CC1 、V CC2 、V CC3 (V CC1 / V CC2 / V CC3 =V AMP +V OFF ). In an embodiment, the offset capacitor C OFF The low frequency current I DC Charged to the offset voltage V OFF .

[0043] When acting as a PC2 PMIC 36, 38, the voltage amplifier 70 is configured to be based on the higher supply voltage V SUPH To generate the modulation voltage V CC1 Or modulation voltage V CC3 In contrast, when acting as a PC3 PMIC 40, the voltage amplifier 70 will be based on the lower supply voltage V SUPL More importantly, when functioning as a PC3 PMIC 40 , the power inductor 68 will be smaller, thereby helping to reduce the size of the PC3 PMIC 40 .

[0044] May be provided in a user element (e.g., a wireless device) Figure 2The multi-transmit RF front-end circuit 34 supports the above-mentioned embodiments. In this regard, Figure 5 For which can provide Figure 2 Schematic diagram of an exemplary user element 100 of the multi-transmit RF front-end circuit 34.

[0045] Herein, user element 100 can be any type of user element, such as a mobile terminal, smart watch, tablet computer, computer, navigation device, access point and similar wireless communication device supporting wireless communication, such as cellular, wireless local area network (WLAN), Bluetooth and near field communication. User element 100 will generally include a control system 102, a baseband processor 104, a transmission circuit system 106, a receiving circuit system 108, an antenna switching circuit system 110, a plurality of antennas 112 and a user interface circuit system 114. In a non-limiting example, for example, the control system 102 can be a field programmable gate array (FPGA). In this regard, the control system 102 can include at least a microprocessor, an embedded memory circuit and a communication bus interface. The receiving circuit system 108 receives radio frequency signals from one or more base stations via antenna 112 and through antenna switching circuit system 110. A low noise amplifier and a filter cooperate to amplify and neutralize broadband interference from the received signal for processing. Downconversion and digitization circuitry (not shown) then downconverts the filtered, received signal to an intermediate or baseband frequency signal, which is then digitized into one or more digital streams using an analog-to-digital converter (ADC).

[0046] The baseband processor 104 processes the digitized received signal to extract the information or data bits conveyed in the received signal. This processing typically includes demodulation, decoding, and error correction operations, which will be discussed in more detail below. The baseband processor 104 is typically implemented in one or more digital signal processors (DSPs) and application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs).

[0047] For transmission, baseband processor 104 receives digitized data, which may represent voice, data, or control information, from control system 102 and encodes the digitized data for transmission. The encoded data is output to transmit circuitry 106, where a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) converts the digitally encoded data into an analog signal, and a modulator modulates the analog signal onto a carrier signal at the desired transmission frequency or frequencies. A power amplifier amplifies the modulated carrier signal to a level suitable for transmission and delivers the modulated carrier signal to antenna 112 via antenna switching circuitry 110. Multiple antennas 112 and replicated transmit circuitry 106 and receive circuitry 108 can provide spatial diversity. Those skilled in the art will understand the modulation and processing details.

[0048] In an embodiment, transmission circuitry 106, antenna switching circuitry 110, and antenna 112 may be collectively configured to function as Figure 2 34. In a non-limiting example, antenna 112 is functionally equivalent to antennas 48, 50, and third antenna 56, antenna switching circuitry 110 may be configured to include switch circuitry 58, and transmit circuitry 106 may be configured to include PC2 PMICs 36, 38, and PC3 PMIC 40.

[0049] In an embodiment, the process may be operated based on Figure 2 The multi-transmit RF front-end circuit 34. In this regard, Figure 6 For operation Figure 2 Flowchart of an exemplary process 200 for the multi-transmit RF front-end circuit 34 of FIG.

[0050] Here, process 200 includes configuring a pair of power amplifiers 42, 44 to each be modulated based on a pair of modulation voltages V CC1 、V CC2 The process 200 also includes configuring the higher power class PMIC 36 and the lower power class PMIC 40 to each generate a pair of modulation voltages V CC1 、V CC2 The process 200 also includes configuring the switching circuit 58 to couple each of the pair of power amplifiers 42, 44 to a selected one of the higher power class PMIC 36 and the lower power class PMIC 40 to receive a pair of modulation voltages V CC1 、V CC2 (step 206).

[0051] Those skilled in the art will recognize improvements and modifications to the preferred embodiments of the present disclosure. All such improvements and modifications are considered to be within the scope of the concepts disclosed herein and the claims that follow.

Claims

1. A multi-transmission radio frequency (RF) front-end circuit (34), comprising: A pair of power amplifiers (42, 44) each configured to provide a power supply based on a pair of modulation voltages (V CC1 、V CC2 ) to amplify an RF signal (46) for concurrent transmission; a higher power class power management integrated circuit (PMIC) (36) and a lower power class PMIC (40), each configured to generate a respective one of the pair of modulation voltages; as well as A switching circuit (58) is configured to couple each of the pair of power amplifiers (42, 44) to a selected one of the higher power class PMIC (36) and the lower power class PMIC (40) to receive the selected one of the pair of modulation voltages.

2. The multi-transmit RF front-end circuit (34) of claim 1, further comprising: The third power amplifier (52) is configured to be based on a third modulation voltage (V CC3 ) to amplify a second RF signal (54) for transmission concurrently with the RF signal (46); as well as A second higher power class PMIC (38) is configured to generate the third modulation voltage.

3. The multi-transmit RF front-end circuit (34) of claim 2, wherein: Each of the higher power class PMIC (36) and the second higher power class PMIC (38) is a power class 2 PMIC, i.e., a PC2 PMIC; and The lower power level PMIC (40) is a power level 3 PMIC, namely a PC3 PMIC.

4. The multi-transmit RF front-end circuit (34) of claim 2, wherein: The pair of power amplifiers (42, 44) are coupled to a pair of antennas (48, 50) configured to transmit the amplified RF signal (46) as a pair of multiple-input multiple-output MIMO signals; and The third power amplifier (52) is coupled to a third antenna (56) configured to transmit the second RF signal (54) as an enhanced dual connectivity EN-DC anchor signal.

5. The multi-transmit RF front-end circuit of claim 2, wherein the higher power class PMIC and the second higher power class PMIC are provided in an integrated higher power class PMIC separate from the lower power class PMIC.

6. The multi-transmit RF front-end circuit of claim 1, wherein the lower power class PMIC has a smaller footprint than the higher power class PMIC.

7. The multi-transmit RF front-end circuit according to claim 1 , wherein: A first of the pair of power amplifiers is configured to amplify the RF signal to a first output power that is lower than a power class 2 maximum power (PC2 maximum power) but higher than or equal to a power class 3 maximum power (PC3 maximum power), and a second of the pair of power amplifiers is configured to amplify the RF signal to a second output power that is lower than the PC3 maximum power; and The switching circuit is further configured to: coupling the higher power class PMIC to the first of the pair of power amplifiers; and The lower power class PMIC is coupled to the second of the pair of power amplifiers.

8. The multi-transmit RF front-end circuit according to claim 1 , wherein: The first of the pair of power amplifiers is configured to amplify the RF signal to a first output power, the first output power being higher than a power class 3 maximum power, i.e., PC3 maximum power, and lower than a power class 2 maximum power, i.e., PC2 maximum power; A second of the pair of power amplifiers is configured to amplify the RF signal to a second output power equal to the first output power; and The switching circuit is further configured to: coupling the higher power class PMIC to the first of the pair of power amplifiers; and The lower power class PMIC is coupled to the second of the pair of power amplifiers.

9. The multi-transmit RF front-end circuit according to claim 1 , wherein: A first of the pair of power amplifiers is configured to amplify the RF signal to a first output power, the first output power being lower than a power class 3 maximum power (PC3 maximum power), and a second of the pair of power amplifiers is configured to amplify the RF signal to a second output power, the second output power being higher than or equal to the PC3 maximum power but lower than a power class 2 maximum power (PC2 maximum power); and The switching circuit is further configured to: coupling the lower power class PMIC to the first of the pair of power amplifiers; and The higher power class PMIC is coupled to the second of the pair of power amplifiers.

10. The multi-transmit RF front-end circuit of claim 1 , wherein each of the lower power class PMIC and the higher power class PMIC comprises: A voltage amplifier (70) is configured to modulate a target voltage (V TGT ) to generate the initial modulation voltage (V AMP );as well as Offset capacitor (C OFF ), which is coupled in series to the voltage amplifier and is configured to raise the initial modulation voltage by an offset voltage (V OFF ) to thereby generate either one of the pair of modulation voltages.

11. A wireless device (100), comprising: A transmission circuit system (106) comprising: A pair of power amplifiers (42, 44) each configured to provide a power supply based on a pair of modulation voltages (V CC1 、V CC2 ) to amplify a selected one of the RF signals (46) for concurrent transmission; and a higher power class power management integrated circuit (PMIC) (36) and a lower power class PMIC (40) each configured to generate a respective one of the pair of modulation voltages; and Antenna switching circuitry (110) includes a switching circuit (58) configured to couple each of the pair of power amplifiers (42, 44) to a selected one of the higher power class PMIC (36) and the lower power class PMIC (40) to receive the selected one of the pair of modulation voltages.

12. The wireless device of claim 11, wherein the transmit circuitry (106) further comprises: The third power amplifier (52) is configured to be based on a third modulation voltage (V CC3 ) to amplify a second RF signal (54) for transmission concurrently with the RF signal (46); as well as A second, higher power class PMIC (38) is configured to generate a second modulation voltage.

13. The wireless device (100) of claim 12, wherein: Each of the higher power class PMIC (36) and the second higher power class PMIC (38) is a power class 2 PMIC, i.e., a PC2 PMIC; and The lower power level PMIC (40) is a power level 3 PMIC, namely a PC3 PMIC.

14. The wireless device (100) of claim 12, wherein: The pair of power amplifiers (42, 44) are coupled to a pair of antennas (48, 50) configured to transmit the amplified RF signal (46) as a pair of multiple-input multiple-output MIMO signals; and The third power amplifier (52) is coupled to a third antenna (56) configured to transmit the second RF signal (54) as an enhanced dual connectivity EN-DC anchor signal.

15. The wireless device (100) of claim 12, wherein the higher power class PMIC and the second higher power class PMIC are provided in an integrated higher power class PMIC separate from the lower power class PMIC.

16. The wireless device of claim 11, wherein the lower power class PMIC has a smaller footprint than the higher power class PMIC.

17. The wireless device of claim 11, wherein: A first of the pair of power amplifiers is configured to amplify the RF signal to a first output power that is lower than a power class 2 maximum power (PC2 maximum power) but higher than or equal to a power class 3 maximum power (PC3 maximum power), and a second of the pair of power amplifiers is configured to amplify the RF signal to a second output power that is lower than the PC3 maximum power; and The switching circuit is further configured to: coupling the higher power class PMIC to the first of the pair of power amplifiers; and The lower power class PMIC is coupled to the second of the pair of power amplifiers.

18. The wireless device of claim 11, wherein: The first of the pair of power amplifiers is configured to amplify the RF signal to a first output power, the first output power being higher than a power class 3 maximum power, i.e., PC3 maximum power, and lower than a power class 2 maximum power, i.e., PC2 maximum power; A second of the pair of power amplifiers is configured to amplify the RF signal to a second output power equal to the first output power; and The switching circuit is further configured to: coupling the higher power class PMIC to the first of the pair of power amplifiers; and The lower power class PMIC is coupled to the second of the pair of power amplifiers.

19. The wireless device of claim 11, wherein: A first of the pair of power amplifiers is configured to amplify the RF signal to a first output power, the first output power being lower than a power class 3 maximum power (PC3 maximum power), and a second of the pair of power amplifiers is configured to amplify the RF signal to a second output power, the second output power being higher than or equal to the PC3 maximum power but lower than a power class 2 maximum power (PC2 maximum power); and The switching circuit is further configured to: coupling the lower power class PMIC to the first of the pair of power amplifiers; and The higher power class PMIC is coupled to the second of the pair of power amplifiers.

20. The wireless device of claim 11, wherein each of the lower power class PMIC and the higher power class PMIC comprises: A voltage amplifier (70) is configured to modulate a target voltage (V TGT ) to generate the initial modulation voltage (V AMP );as well as Offset capacitor (C OFF ), which is coupled in series to the voltage amplifier and is configured to raise the initial modulation voltage by an offset voltage (V OFF ) to thereby generate either one of the pair of modulation voltages.

21. A method for operating a multi-transmit radio frequency (RF) front-end circuit (34), comprising: A pair of power amplifiers (42, 44) are configured to each be based on a pair of modulation voltages (V CC1 、V CC2 ) to amplify an RF signal (46) for concurrent transmission; The higher power class power management integrated circuit PMIC (36) and the lower power class PMIC (40) are configured to each generate the pair of modulation voltages (V CC1 、V CC2 ) in the corresponding one; and The switching circuit (58) is configured to couple each of the pair of power amplifiers (42, 44) to a selected one of the higher power class PMIC (36) and the lower power class PMIC (40) to receive the pair of modulation voltages (V CC1 、V CC2 ) in the selected one.

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