Circuit board and electronic device including power modulator sharing structure

Abstract

Disclosed is an electronic device comprising: at least one communication circuit including a first transmission path and a second transmission path; a transceiver electrically connected to the at least one communication circuit; at least one processor electrically connected to the transceiver; and a power modulator configured to supply power to a first power amplifier (PA) of the first transmission path or a second PA of the second transmission path. The power modulator may be electrically connected to the first PA through a first feed path disposed between and connected to a first point and the first PA. The power modulator may be branched from the first point and electrically connected to the second PA through a second feed path connected to the second PA. The first feed path may include a first inductor disposed between and connected to the first point and the first PA. The second feed path may include a second inductor disposed between and connected to a second point and the second PA.

Description

Circuit board and electronic device including a power modulator shared structure

[0001] The embodiments disclosed in this document relate to a power modulator sharing structure and a circuit board and an electronic device including the power modulator sharing structure.

[0002] The electronic device may support various wireless communications (e.g., cellular communications such as LTE (long-term evolution) and / or NR (new radio)). The electronic device may include a wireless communication circuit (e.g., a transmission module) for transmitting wireless signals. For example, the wireless communication circuit may include a radio frequency (RF) component, such as a power amplifier (PA), for amplifying the signal to be transmitted. The electronic device may be configured to control the transmission power of the wireless signal by controlling the driving voltage of the power amplifier. To control the transmission power of the wireless signal, the electronic device may track the transmission power based on various methods. For example, the electronic device may control the driving voltage of the power amplifier based on envelope tracking (ET) or average power tracking (APT).

[0003] With the development of radio access technology (RAT), electronic devices may include multiple radio communication circuits to support multiple frequency bands. For example, an electronic device may include multiple radio frequency integrated circuits (RFICs). To control the power of the power amplifiers of the multiple radio communication circuits, the electronic device may include multiple power modulators. If the electronic device supports dual connectivity, the number of power modulators required may increase in order to simultaneously supply power to the multiple radio communication circuits.

[0004] For example, according to the 3GPP (3rd generation partnership project) 5th generation mobile communication NSA (non-standalone) method, simultaneous support for 4th generation mobile communication RAT and 5th generation mobile communication RAT may be required. Electronic devices can be connected to a network according to the EN-DC (E-UTRAN NR (new radio)-dual connectivity) method. Here, E-UTRAN refers to evolved-UTRAN, and UTRAN may refer to the UMTS (universal mobile telecommunication system) radio access network. In the case of EN-DC, an LTE (long term evolution) base station with an EPC (evolved packet core) as the core network can operate as the master base station (e.g., master eNB (eNodeB)) of the electronic device. In this case, the LTE base station can anchor the signaling of the control plane to the electronic device. A 5th generation NR (new radio) base station can operate as a secondary base station (e.g., secondary gNB (gNodeB)) for an electronic device. The NR base station can transmit and receive user plane data to and from the electronic device through a secondary cell group (SCG). As another example, the electronic device can be connected to a network according to the NE-DC (NR E-UTRAN dual connectivity) method. In this case, the NR base station can operate as a master gNB, and the LTE base station can operate as a secondary eNB.

[0005] The information described above may be provided as related art for the purpose of aiding understanding of the present disclosure. No claim or determination is made as to whether any of the foregoing may be applied as prior art in relation to the present disclosure.

[0006] An electronic device according to one embodiment disclosed in this document may include at least one communication circuit comprising a first transmission path and a second transmission path, a transceiver electrically connected to the at least one communication circuit, at least one processor electrically connected to the transceiver, and a power modulator configured to supply power to a first power amplifier (PA) of the first transmission path or a second PA of the second transmission path. The power modulator may be electrically connected to the first PA through a first feed path connected between a first point and the first PA. The power modulator may be electrically connected to the second PA through a second feed path branched from the first point and connected to the second PA. The first feed path may include a first inductor connected between the first point and the first PA. The second feed path may include a second inductor connected between the second point and the second PA.

[0007] A circuit board according to one embodiment disclosed in this document may include at least one communication circuit comprising a first transmission path and a second transmission path, and a power modulator configured to supply power to a first PA (power amplifier) ​​of the first transmission path or a second PA (512) of the second transmission path. The power modulator may be electrically connected to the first PA through a first power supply path connected between a first point and the first PA. The power modulator may be electrically connected to the second PA through a second power supply path branched from the first point and connected to the second PA. The first power supply path may include a first inductor connected between the first point and the first PA. The second power supply path may include a second inductor connected between the second point and the second PA.

[0008] FIG. 1 illustrates a network environment of an electronic device according to one embodiment.

[0009] FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram of an electronic device according to one embodiment.

[0010] FIG. 3 illustrates the antenna structure of an electronic device according to one embodiment.

[0011] FIG. 4 illustrates the structure of a communication circuit of an electronic device according to one embodiment.

[0012] FIG. 5 illustrates a power supply structure of an electronic device according to one embodiment.

[0013] FIG. 6 illustrates a power supply structure including inductors of an electronic device according to one embodiment.

[0014] FIGS. 7A and 7B illustrate power supply structures including feedback paths of an electronic device according to one embodiment.

[0015] FIG. 8 illustrates a supply voltage according to a power supply structure according to one embodiment.

[0016] FIG. 9 is a block diagram of an exemplary electronic device capable of performing the operations described in this document.

[0017] In relation to the description of the drawings, the same or similar reference numerals may be used for identical or similar components.

[0018] Hereinafter, various embodiments of the present invention are described with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, this is not intended to limit the present invention to specific embodiments and should be understood to include various modifications, equivalents, and / or alternatives of the embodiments of the present invention.

[0019] FIG. 1 illustrates a network environment of an electronic device according to one embodiment.

[0020] Referring to FIG. 1, according to one embodiment, the electronic device (10) may include a mobile user device or any wireless electronic device. The electronic device (10) may be referred to as a communication device configured to support wireless communication. For example, the electronic device (10) may include any electronic device that supports carrier aggregation and / or dual connectivity. For example, dual connectivity may include multi-RAT dual connectivity (MR-DC) that supports dual connectivity based on different radio access technologies (RAT).

[0021] For example, the electronic device (10) may include any handheld device. The electronic device (10) may include, for example, at least one of a tablet PC (personal computer), a mobile phone, a smart watch, smart glasses, or an IoT (Internet of Things) device. For example, the electronic device (10) may correspond to the electronic device (900) described below in relation to FIG. 9.

[0022] In one example, the first base station (20) may be associated with at least one cell. For example, the first base station (20) may be associated with the first-1 cell (21) and / or the first-2 cell (22). For example, the first-1 cell (21) and the first-2 cell (22) may be cells of the same RAT. In another example, the first-1 cell (21) and the first-2 cell (22) may be cells having different RATs.

[0023] In one example, the second base station (30) may be associated with at least one cell. For example, the second base station (30) may be associated with the second-1 cell (31) and / or the second-2 cell (32). For example, the second-1 cell (31) and the second-2 cell (32) may be cells of the same RAT. In another example, the second-1 cell (31) and the second-2 cell (32) may be cells having different RATs.

[0024] The electronic device (10) may be associated (e.g., attached) to at least one cell. The electronic device (10) may be associated with multiple cells of a single base station. For example, the electronic device (10) may be associated with the first-1 cell (21) and the first-2 cell (22) of the first base station (20). The electronic device may be associated with multiple cells of multiple base stations. For example, the electronic device (10) may be associated with the first-1 cell (21) of the first base station (20) and the second-1 cell (31) of the second base station (30). For example, the electronic device (10) may use at least one cell to utilize carrier aggregation, uplink MIMO (multi-input multi-output), and / or MR-DC. To support multi-cell transmission of the electronic device (10), the electronic device (10) may transmit multiple signals using multiple transmission paths. To supply power to multiple transmission paths, the number of power modulators of the electronic device (10) can be increased.

[0025] The electronic device (10) can support multiple RATs. To support multiple RATs, the electronic device (10) may include multiple communication circuits. For example, the electronic device (10) may include multiple RFFE (radio frequency front end) modules and / or multiple RFIC (radio frequency integrated circuits). To supply power to the multiple communication circuits, the number of power modulators of the electronic device (10) may be increased.

[0026] According to one embodiment, the electronic device (10) may include a structure for sharing a power modulator. The structure for sharing may include a structure configured to supply power to a plurality of communication circuits using a single power modulator. Through the sharing of the power modulator, the production cost of the electronic device (10) and the mounting space for the power modulator may be reduced.

[0027] The electronic device (10) may include communication circuits mounted at various locations within the electronic device (10). When a power modulator is shared, the distance between the power modulator and some communication circuits may be increased. Due to the increased length of the power path between the power modulator and the communication circuits, the line impedance may increase. In this case, voltage drop and / or noise may occur in the supply voltage of the power modulator. Due to the voltage drop and / or noise in the supply voltage, the communication performance of the electronic device (10) may deteriorate.

[0028] According to one embodiment, the electronic device (10) may include an inductor located at each of a plurality of feed lines branched from a power modulator. By placing an inductor at each feed line, an inductor with low resistance (e.g., DC resistance) may be used for lines with long feed path lengths between the power modulator and the communication circuit. Additionally, by using an inductor with low resistance, the size of the inductor and the voltage drop caused by the inductor can be reduced. The electronic device (10) can be used with the above-described structure to reduce noise caused by line impedance.

[0029] The network environment (100) described above in relation to FIG. 1 is exemplary and the embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited thereto. For example, the network environment (100) of the embodiments of the present disclosure may include any network connectable to the electronic device (10). In the network environment (100) illustrated in FIG. 1, at least one base station and / or at least one cell may be omitted.

[0030] FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram of an electronic device according to one embodiment.

[0031] According to one embodiment, the electronic device (10) may include a processor (120), memory (130), a communication module (190), and / or an antenna module (170). The configurations of the electronic device (10) described above are exemplary, and each configuration may consist of one module and / or multiple modules. The structure of the electronic device (10) shown in FIG. 1 is exemplary, and the embodiments of this document are not limited thereto. For example, the electronic device (10) may further include configurations not shown in FIG. 1 (e.g., configurations of the electronic device (900) of FIG. 9). For example, the electronic device (10) may not include at least some of the configurations shown in FIG. 1.

[0032] The processor (120) may include at least one processing circuit. For example, the processor (120) may control various configurations of the electronic device (10) so that the electronic device (10) performs various operations. For example, the processor (120) may correspond to the processor (910) of FIG. 9. For example, the operations of the electronic device (10) described below may be referred to as being performed by the processor (120). The processor (120) may perform various operations of the electronic device (10) by executing one or more instructions stored in memory (130). The processor (120) may control the electronic device (10) so that the electronic device (10) performs various operations by executing instructions stored in memory (130). The processor (120) may include one processor or a plurality of processors. For example, the processor (120) may include an application processor (AP), a communication processor (CP), and / or a modem. In one example, the processor (120) may be implemented as a single chipset or multiple chipsets.

[0033] The processor (120) may include a baseband processor that processes a baseband signal received from a communication module (190) or transmits a baseband signal to the communication module (190). The processor (120) may be electrically, operatively, or functionally connected to a memory (130), a communication module (190), and / or an antenna module (170). In the present disclosure, when one component is “operatively” connected to another component, it may mean that the component is connected to enable the other component to operate. For example, the component may enable the other component by transmitting a control signal to the other component directly or through another component. In the present disclosure, when one component is “functionally” connected to another component, it may mean that the component is connected to enable the function of the other component. For example, the component may enable the function of the other component by transmitting a control signal to the other component directly or through another component.

[0034] For example, the memory (130) may be implemented as a single chip or chipset with the processor (120). For example, the memory (130) may be implemented as a separate chip from the processor (120). In one example, the memory (130) may correspond to the memory (920) of FIG. 9. As described above, the memory (130) may store instructions (e.g., computer programs or program code) that can be executed by the processor (120).

[0035] For example, the antenna module (170) may include a plurality of antennas (e.g., a first antenna (181) and a second antenna (182)). The antenna module (170) may include a plurality of radiators that can be used as antennas. For example, at least some of the plurality of antennas may include a part of the housing of the electronic device (10) (e.g., a part of a side member), a metallic pattern, a metallic radiator, and / or a conductive member. Examples of antennas may be described later in connection with FIG. 3. The antenna module (170) may include a tuning circuit for tuning the antenna and / or a switching circuit for optionally connecting the antenna to a communication module (190). The number of antennas shown in FIG. 2 is exemplary and the embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited thereto.

[0036] In the present disclosure, the term 'antenna' may be referred to as an antenna circuit or a radiator (e.g., an antenna element). For example, an antenna circuit may include a radiator, a feed point to which a feed is electrically connected to the radiator, a ground point to which ground is connected to the radiator, a feed, a feed line between the feed and the feed point, and / or a resonant circuit configured to change the resonant length of the radiator.

[0037] The communication module (190) may include any configurations for transmitting and receiving wireless signals. For example, the communication module (190) may correspond to the communication circuit (960) of FIG. 9. The communication module (190) may receive a signal using an antenna module (170). The communication module (190) may convert the received signal into a baseband signal using the antenna module (170) and transmit it to the processor (120). For example, the communication module (190) may transmit a signal using the antenna module (170). The communication module (190) may convert the baseband signal received from the processor (120) into a radio frequency signal and transmit the converted radio frequency signal through the antenna module (170). The processor (120) may transmit and receive wireless signals by controlling the communication module (190).

[0038] According to one embodiment, the communication module (190) may include a first communication circuit (190a), a second communication circuit (190b), and / or a transceiver (190c). The configuration of the communication module (190) shown in FIG. 2 is an example, and the embodiments of this document are not limited thereto. For example, between the communication circuit (e.g., the first communication circuit (190a) and / or the second communication circuit (190b)) and the transceiver (190c), at least one switch and / or at least one duplexer configured to change the connection between the communication circuit and the transceiver (190c) may be located. For example, the first communication circuit (190a) and the second communication circuit (190b) may be formed of a plurality of module-independent modules. FIG. 2 shows one transceiver (190c), but the embodiments of this disclosure are not limited thereto. For example, the transceiver (190c) may include a first transceiver connected to the first communication circuit (190a) and a second transceiver connected to the second communication circuit (190b).

[0039] For example, the first communication circuit (190a) and / or the second communication circuit (190b) may be electrically connected to the antenna circuit (170). The first communication circuit (190a) and the second communication circuit (190b) may perform processing (e.g., amplification, filtering, and / or phase shifting) on ​​a signal to be transmitted through the antenna circuit (170). The first communication circuit (190a) and the second communication circuit (190b) may perform processing (e.g., amplification, filtering, and / or phase shifting) on ​​a signal received through the antenna circuit (170). For example, each of the first communication circuit (190a) and the second communication circuit (190b) may include at least one of an amplifier, a low noise amplifier (LNA), at least one filter, a duplexer, a phase shifter, and / or a switch. The first communication circuit (190a) and the second communication circuit (190b) may be referred to as RFFE or RFIC.

[0040] For example, the first communication circuit (190a) and the second communication circuit (190b) may be configured to support different frequency bands and / or different RATs. In one example, the first communication circuit (190a) and the second communication circuit (190b) may be communication circuits for processing different frequency bands of the same wireless communication protocol. For example, the first communication circuit (190a) may be a communication circuit configured to process signals of the first frequency band of the first wireless communication protocol. For example, the second communication circuit (190a) may be a communication circuit configured to process signals of the second frequency band of the first wireless communication protocol.

[0041] In one example, the first communication circuit (190a) may be a communication circuit for processing a signal of a wireless communication protocol different from that of the second communication circuit (190b). For example, the first communication circuit (190a) may be configured to process a signal of the first wireless communication protocol, and the second communication circuit (190b) may be configured to process a signal of the second wireless communication protocol.

[0042] Each of the first communication circuit (190a) and the second communication circuit (190b) may have a direct connection to a transceiver (190c) and / or a connection (not shown) to a processor (120). Each of the first communication circuit (190a) and the second communication circuit (190b) may be controlled by the transceiver (190c) and / or the processor (120). The number of communication circuits shown in FIG. 2 is exemplary and the embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited thereto.

[0043] The transceiver (190c) can perform processing on a baseband signal received from, for example, the processor (120). For example, the transceiver (190c) can perform upconverting, amplification, and / or filtering on the baseband signal. The transceiver (190c) can transmit the signal by transmitting the processed signal to the first communication circuit (190a) and / or the second communication circuit (190b). The transceiver (190c) can process the signal based on a control signal from the processor (120).

[0044] The transceiver (190c) can perform post-processing on a signal received from, for example, the first communication circuit (190a) and / or the second communication circuit (190b). For example, the transceiver (190c) can perform down-converting, amplification, and / or filtering on the received signal. The transceiver (190c) can convert the received signal into a baseband signal and transmit it to the processor (120). The transceiver (190c) can process the signal based on a control signal from the processor (120).

[0045] The configurations of the wireless communication circuits of the electronic device (10) illustrated in FIG. 2 are examples, and the embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited thereto. A person skilled in the art will understand that any structure including a plurality of communication circuits may be used in the electronic device (10).

[0046] FIG. 3 illustrates the antenna structure of an electronic device according to one embodiment.

[0047] Referring to FIG. 3, the electronic device (10) may include a plurality of antennas. At least one of the plurality of antennas shown in FIG. 3 may correspond to an antenna included in the antenna module (170) of FIG. 2. For example, at least one of the plurality of antennas shown in FIG. 2 may correspond to the first antenna (181) or the second antenna (182) of FIG. 2.

[0048] For example, the electronic device (10) may include a housing. The housing may include a side housing that surrounds the space between the front (e.g., display surface) and the rear of the electronic device (10). At least a portion of the housing may be used as an antenna radiator. For example, the housing may include a metallic member, and the metallic member may be electrically separated by a dielectric slit (e.g., slit (220) in FIG. 3). A portion of the electrically separated metallic member may be used as an antenna. For example, at least one of the portions of the housing separated by the slit (220) (e.g., 211, 212, 213, 214, 215, 216, 217, and 218) may be used as an antenna radiator.

[0049] For example, the electronic device (10) may include a substrate (250) located inside a housing. For example, a conductive pattern (251) may be located within or on the substrate (250). The conductive pattern (251) may be used as an antenna. The substrate (250) may include, for example, a printed circuit board (PCB), a flexible PCB (FPCB), or any substrate structure within the housing.

[0050] The antennas described in relation to FIG. 3 are examples, and the embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited thereto. For example, a metal plate on the back of a display, a metallic pattern engraved on a housing, or any metal structure may be used as an antenna.

[0051] FIG. 4 illustrates the structure of a communication circuit of an electronic device according to one embodiment.

[0052] Referring to FIG. 4, according to one embodiment, a transceiver (190c) may be connected to at least one transmission path and / or at least one reception path. For example, a first communication circuit (190a) may include a transmission path (400), a first reception path (401), a second reception path (402), and a third reception path (403). The number of reception paths and transmission paths shown in FIG. 4 are exemplary and the embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited thereto.

[0053] According to one example, the transmission path (400) may include at least one power amplifier (e.g., power amplifier (410)) and a filter circuit (420). For example, the first reception path (401) may include at least one power amplifier (e.g., low noise amplifier, LNA) (e.g., first power amplifier (411)) and a first filter circuit (421). For example, the second reception path (402) may include at least one power amplifier (e.g., second power amplifier (412)) and a second filter circuit (422). For example, the third reception path (403) may include at least one power amplifier (e.g., third power amplifier (413)) and a third filter circuit (423).

[0054] The first communication circuit (190a) may include a switching circuit (430). For example, the switching circuit (430) may include at least one switch and / or at least one duplexer. The switching circuit (430) may be configured to change the connection between the receiving path and the transmitting path and the antenna module (170). The switching circuit (430) may be implemented as part of the first communication circuit (190a) or as part of the antenna module (170).

[0055] For example, the switching circuit (430) may be configured to receive a control signal from a transceiver (190c) or a processor (e.g., the processor (120) of FIG. 2) and to change the connection between the first communication circuit (190a) and the antenna module (170) based on the received control signal.

[0056] For example, the antenna module (170) may include a first antenna (480), a second antenna (481), a third antenna (482), and a fourth antenna (483). The first antenna (480), the second antenna (481), the third antenna (482), and the fourth antenna (483) may be electrically connected to a first tuning circuit (440), a second tuning circuit (441), a third tuning circuit (442), and a fourth tuning circuit (443), respectively. Each tuning circuit may include at least one element for impedance control. The tuning circuits illustrated in FIG. 4 are exemplary, and at least some of the illustrated tuning circuits may be omitted.

[0057] For convenience of explanation, the structure of the first communication circuit (190a) has been described in relation to FIG. 4, but a similar structure may also be applied to the second communication circuit (190b) of FIG. 2. For example, the second communication circuit (190b) may include a structure similar to that of the first communication circuit (190a). In one example, the switching circuit (430) may be configured so that the first communication circuit (190a) and the second communication circuit (190b) can share at least one antenna.

[0058] With reference to FIGS. 2 and FIGS. 4, in the present disclosure, the term “transmission path” may be referred to as an electrical path extending from a transceiver (190c) to a specific antenna or an electrical path used for transmitting a signal within a communication circuit (e.g., a communication module). For example, the transmission path (400) may be connected to a second antenna (481) and a switching circuit (430). In this case, the “transmission path” may include components located on an electrical path between the transceiver (190c) and the second antenna (651). In the present disclosure, the term “reception path” may be referred to as an electrical path extending from an antenna to a transceiver (190c) or an electrical path used for receiving a signal within a communication circuit (e.g., a communication module).

[0059] FIG. 5 illustrates a power supply structure of an electronic device according to one embodiment.

[0060] Referring to FIGS. 1 and FIGS. 5, according to one embodiment, an electronic device (10) may include a plurality of transmission paths. For example, the electronic device (10) may include a first transmission path (501) and a second transmission path (502). Each of the first transmission path (501) and the second transmission path (502) may correspond to the transmission path (400) described above in relation to FIG. 4. The first transmission path (501) and the second transmission path (502) may be included in the same communication circuit or in different communication circuits.

[0061] In FIG. 5, the configurations of the first and second transmission paths (501, 502) are simplified for convenience of explanation, but embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited thereto. For example, as described above in relation to the transmission path (400) of FIG. 4, each transmission path (501, 502) may further include configurations not shown in FIG. 5. In the example of FIG. 5, the first transmission path (501) is shown as being electrically connected to the first antenna (181) and the second transmission path (502) is shown as being electrically connected to the second antenna (182), but embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited thereto. For example, the first transmission path (501) and the second transmission path may be electrically connected to different antennas through a switching circuit (e.g., the switching circuit (430) of FIG. 4). As described above in relation to FIG. 4, the electronic device (10) may include a plurality of unillustrated receiving paths. In FIG. 5, the first transmission path (501) and the second transmission path (502) are shown as being electrically connected to the same transceiver (190c), but embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited thereto. For example, the first transmission path (501) and the second transmission path (502) may be connected to different transceivers. A person skilled in the art will understand that the structure, excluding the path between the power modulator (520) and the power amplifiers (511, 512), may be changed according to the configuration of the electronic device (10).

[0062] In the example of FIG. 5, the first transmission path (501) may include a first power amplifier (PA, 511), and the second transmission path (502) may include a second PA (512). According to one embodiment, the electronic device (10) may include a power management circuit (590) and a power modulator (520). The power management circuit (590) may manage power supplied to the electronic device (10). For example, the power management circuit (590) may be implemented, for example, as at least part of a power management integrated circuit (PMIC). The power management circuit (590) may be configured to supply power to components of the electronic device (10) using power received from a power source (580). The power source (580) may include an internal power source (e.g., a battery) and / or an external power source (e.g., an external battery and / or a power outlet) of the electronic device (10). The battery may include, for example, a non-rechargeable primary battery, a rechargeable secondary battery, or a fuel cell.

[0063] The power modulator (520) may be configured to supply power to the first PA (511) and / or the second PA (512). The power modulator (520) may supply power to the first PA (511) and / or the second PA (512) using power received from the power management circuit (590). The power modulator (520) may supply power by supplying a specified voltage to the first PA (511) and / or the second PA (512). The gain of the first PA (511) and / or the second PA (512) may be changed by the voltage supplied by the power modulator (520). For example, the transmission power of the first transmission path (501) may be controlled through gain control of the first PA (511). Similarly, the transmission power of the second transmission path (502) may be controlled through gain control of the second PA (512). By supplying power to multiple power boosters using a single power modulator (520), the power modulator mounting space and power modulator mounting cost can be reduced.

[0064] The power modulator (520) can control the supply power based on the transmission power of the associated transmission path. For example, the power modulator (520) can control the supply power (e.g., supply voltage) based on envelope tracking (ET) and / or average power tracking (APT). For example, the power modulator (520) can control the supply power according to the control of the processor (120) and / or transceiver (190c). For example, the power modulator (520) includes a buck / boost circuit and can control the supply voltage using the buck / boost circuit. The power modulator (520) may include a DC-DC switching type buck-boost converter.

[0065] The power modulator (520) can be electrically connected to a power supply path (523) through one output port. The power supply path (523) can extend between the power modulator (520) and a first point (P1). The power modulator (520) can be mounted on a circuit board (not shown). The power supply path (523) can correspond to a conductive pattern (e.g., a conductive line) located on the circuit board.

[0066] The power supply path (523) may branch from a first point (P1) into a first power supply path (521) and a second power supply path (522). The first power supply path (521) may be referred to as a conductive pattern extending between the first point (P1) and the first PA (511). The second power supply path (522) may branch from the first point (PA) and be referred to as a conductive pattern extending between the first point (P1) and the second PA (512). The first power supply path (521) and the second power supply path (522) may be mounted on a circuit board (not shown). In one example, the first power supply path (521) and / or the second power supply path (522) may include any power supply path formed across a plurality of circuit boards. The power modulator (520) can be electrically connected to the first PA (511) through the first power supply path (521) and electrically connected to the second PA (512) through the second power supply path (522).

[0067] In the example of FIG. 5, the length of the second power supply path (522) may be relatively longer than the length of the first power supply path (521). The length of the power supply path may include an “electrical length.” In one example, the second power supply path (522) may be 100 mm or longer than the first power supply path (521).

[0068] In the prior art, an inductor may be positioned on the power supply path (523) to reduce noise caused by the DC (direct current) voltage switching of the power modulator (520). In this case, while this may not be an issue in the first power supply path (521), which is relatively short, DC-DC noise may be amplified in the second power supply path (522), which is relatively long. Since the second power supply path (522) has a relatively long length, it may be adjacent to a relatively large number of other internal components. Noise on the second power supply path (522) may act as interference caused by crosstalk to other internal components. Additionally, when an inductor is positioned on the power supply path (523), the inductance of the inductor may be increased by taking into account both the first power supply path (521) and the second power supply path (522). In this case, the cost and mounting space of the inductor may increase.

[0069] According to one embodiment, as described below in FIG. 6, the electronic device (10) may include inductors located on each of the first power supply path (521) and the second power supply path (522). For example, as described below in relation to FIG. 8, noise may be reduced by placing inductors on each of the power supply paths after a branch point (e.g., the first point (P1)). Due to the reduction in noise, a separate power modulation circuit adjacent to the second PA (512) may not be required. Additionally, by utilizing the line inductance generated between the circuit board and the power supply path (e.g., the second power supply path (522)), the required inductance value of the inductor may be reduced. Thus, cost and mounting space may be reduced.

[0070] Hereinafter, with reference to FIGS. 6 to 8, a power supply structure according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may be described. At least a portion of the power supply structure described below may be included in a circuit board (not shown). For example, an electronic device (10) may include a circuit board within a housing. Unless otherwise noted, the details described above in relation to FIGS. 1 to 5 may also apply to FIGS. 6 to 8.

[0071] FIG. 6 illustrates a power supply structure including inductors of an electronic device according to one embodiment.

[0072] Referring to FIGS. 1, FIGS. 5, and FIGS. 6, according to one embodiment, the electronic device (10) may include a first inductor (601) and a second inductor (602). For example, the first inductor (601) may be connected between a first point (P1) and a first PA (511). The second inductor (602) may be connected between a first point (P1) and a second PA (512). For example, the first feed path (521) may be shorter than the second feed path (522), and the second inductance of the second inductor (602) may be lower than the first inductance of the first inductor (601).

[0073] According to one embodiment, the second inductance of the second inductor (602) can be set based on an inductance component associated with the length of the second feed path (522). As described above in relation to FIG. 5, the first feed path (521) may be relatively shorter than the second feed path (522). In this case, the second inductance of the second inductor (602) may be lower than the first inductance of the first inductor (601). Because the length of the second feed path (522) is relatively long, the line inductance of the second feed path (522) may be relatively higher than that of the first feed path (521). Since the second inductor (602) is connected in series with the line inductance of the second power supply path (522), the second inductance of the second inductor (602) can be relatively reduced due to the line inductance. Therefore, compared to the case where the inductor is connected to the power supply path (523), the value of the second inductance of the second inductor (602) can be reduced.

[0074] For example, if the length of the second power supply path (522) is 300 mm, the line inductance of the second power supply path (522) may be 0.5 μH. If the required inductance is 1 μH, the second inductance value of the second inductor (602) may be reduced to 0.5 μH. In this case, the size of the second inductor (602) may be reduced by about 1 mm, and the value of the DC resistance due to the inductor may also be reduced.

[0075] FIGS. 7A and 7B illustrate power supply structures including feedback paths of an electronic device according to one embodiment.

[0076] Referring to FIGS. 1, FIGS. 7a, and FIGS. 7b, according to one embodiment, a power modulator (520) may be (e.g., electrically) connected to a first feedback path (541) branched from a second point (P2) between the first inductor (601) and the first PA (511), or to a second feedback path (542) branched from a third point (P3) between the second inductor (602) and the second PA (512). The power modulator (520) may obtain information on the magnitude of the voltage supplied to the first PA (511) through the first feedback path (541). The power modulator (520) may obtain information on the magnitude of the voltage supplied to the second PA (512) through the second feedback path (542). For example, the power modulator (520) may be configured to monitor the first power supplied to the first PA (511) through the first feedback path (541) or the second power supplied to the second PA (512) through the second feedback path (542). The power modulator (520) may control the magnitude of the voltage supplied through the power supply path (523) based on information regarding the magnitude of the supply voltage.

[0077] Referring to FIG. 7a, according to one embodiment, the power modulator (520) may include a switching circuit (750a) configured to selectively connect a first feedback path (541) or a second feedback path (542) to the power modulator (520). For example, the first feedback path (541) may be connected to a first feedback port of the power modulator (520). The second feedback path (542) may be connected to a second feedback port of the power modulator (520). The switching circuit (750a) may correspond to a single pole dual throw (SPDT) switch configured to selectively connect the first feedback port or the second feedback port to an internal circuit of the power modulator (520).

[0078] For example, when the power modulator (520) supplies power to the first PA (511), the switching circuit (750a) can electrically connect the first feedback path (541) to the power modulator (520). The first feedback path (541) can be branched from a second point (P2) between the first inductor (601) and the first PA (511) on the first power supply path (521) and connected to the switching circuit (750a). Since the feedback voltage is measured at a point after the first inductor (601), the power modulator (520) can monitor the voltage supplied to the first PA (511).

[0079] For example, when the power modulator (520) supplies power to the second PA (512), the switching circuit (750a) can electrically connect the second feedback path (542) to the power modulator (520). The second feedback path (542) can be branched from a third point (P3) between the second inductor (602) and the second PA (512) on the second power supply path (522) and connected to the switching circuit (750a). Since the feedback voltage is measured at a point after the second inductor (602), the power modulator (520) can monitor the voltage supplied to the second PA (512).

[0080] Referring to FIG. 7b, according to one embodiment, the electronic device (10) may include a switch (750b) configured to selectively connect a first feedback path (541) or a second feedback path (542) to a power modulator (520). The switch (750) may correspond to an SPDT switch configured to selectively connect the first feedback path (541) or the second feedback path (542) to a power modulator (520). For example, the switch (750b) may be controlled by at least one of a power modulator (520), a transceiver (190c), or a processor (e.g., the processor (120) of FIG. 5).

[0081] For example, when the power modulator (520) supplies power to the first PA (511), the switch (750b) can electrically connect the first feedback path (541) to the power modulator (520). For example, when the power modulator (520) supplies power to the second PA (512), the switch (750b) can electrically connect the second feedback path (542) to the power modulator (520).

[0082] FIG. 8 illustrates a supply voltage according to a power supply structure according to one embodiment.

[0083] Referring to FIG. 8, the first graph (801) illustrates the supply voltage according to DC-DC switching. Referring to FIG. 5, the first graph (801) illustrates the supply voltage appearing in the second supply path (522) when an inductor is located on the supply path (523). The supply voltage exhibits a relatively large ripple. Additionally, the ripple of the supply voltage is maintained for a relatively long time. In this case, interference may occur in the internal components of the electronic device (10) due to the noise in the form of ripple.

[0084] The second graph (802) illustrates the supply voltage appearing in the second feed path (522) when an inductor (e.g., the second inductor (602) of FIG. 6) is positioned on the second feed path (522) instead of the feed path (523). In the example of the second graph (802), a ripple of relatively small size appears for a relatively short time.

[0085] Accordingly, with reference to the first graph (801) and the second graph (802), the power supply structure according to the embodiments of the present disclosure can reduce cost and mounting space through the sharing of power modulators and can reduce noise by including inductors for individual power supply paths.

[0086] FIG. 9 is a block diagram of an exemplary electronic device (900) capable of performing the operations described in this document.

[0087] Referring to FIG. 9, the electronic device (900) may be one of various forms of electronic devices, such as a notebook (990), smartphones (991) having various form factors (e.g., a bar-type smartphone (991-1), a foldable-type smartphone (991-2), or a sliderable (or rollable)-type smartphone (991-3)), a tablet (992), a cellular phone (not shown), and other similar computing devices (not shown). The components, their relationships, and their functions illustrated in FIG. 9 are illustrative only and are not intended to limit the implementations described or claimed herein. The electronic device (900) may be referred to as a mobile device, a user device, a multifunction device, a portable device, or a server.

[0088] The electronic device (900) may include components comprising at least one processor (910) (hereinafter referred to as processor (910)), at least one memory (920) (hereinafter referred to as memory (920)), at least one display (940) (hereinafter referred to as display (940)), at least one image sensor (950) (hereinafter referred to as image sensor (950)), at least one communication circuit (960) (hereinafter referred to as communication circuit (960)), and / or at least one sensor (970) (hereinafter referred to as sensor (970)). The components are merely exemplary. For example, the electronic device (900) may include other components (e.g., power management integrated circuitry (PMIC), audio processing circuit, antenna, rechargeable battery, or input / output interface). For example, some components may be omitted from the electronic device (900). For example, some components may be integrated into a single component.

[0089] The processor (910) may be implemented as one or more IC (integrated circuit (or circuitry)) chips and may perform various data processing operations. The processor (910) may include at least one electrical circuit and may process instructions (or programs, data, etc.) stored in memory (920) individually or collectively in a distributed manner. The processor (910) may include a processor assembly comprising one or more processing circuits. The processor (910) may include any processing circuit that is operative to control the performance and operations of one or more components of the electronic device (900) (e.g., memory (920), display (940), image sensor (950), communication circuit (960), and / or sensor (970)). For example, the processor (910) (e.g., application processor (AP)) may be implemented as a system on chip (SoC) (e.g., a single chip or chipset). For example, the processor (910) may be implemented with a plurality of cores (or at least one core circuit), a plurality of chips, or a plurality of chipsets. For example, the processor (910) may include one or more processing circuits. For example, the processor (910) may include one or more processing circuits configured to perform the various functions of the present disclosure individually and / or collectively. As an example without limitation, at least a portion of the processor (910) may be included in a first chip of the electronic device (900), and at least another portion of the processor (910) may be included in a second chip of the electronic device (900) different from the first chip of the electronic device (900).

[0090] For example, the processor (910) may include a central processing unit (CPU) (911), a graphics processing unit (GPU) (912), a neural processing unit (NPU) (913), an image signal processor (ISP) (914), a display controller (915), a memory controller (916), a storage controller (917), a communication processor (CP) (918), and / or a sensor interface (919). These components of the processor (910) are merely exemplary. For example, the processor (910) may include other components. For example, some components of the processor (910) may be omitted from the processor (910). For example, some components of the processor (910) may be included as separate components of the electronic device (900) outside of the processor (910). For example, some components of the processor (910) (e.g., memory controller (916)) may be included within other components (e.g., at least part of memory (920), an interface (e.g. available for connection to at least one component of the electronic device (10)), a display (940) and / or an image sensor (950)).

[0091] The processor (910) may cause other components of the electronic device (900) to perform various operations by executing instructions stored in memory (920). The CPU (911) (or central processing circuit) may be configured to control the components of the processor (910) based on the execution of instructions stored in memory (920) (e.g., volatile memory (921) and / or non-volatile memory (922)). The GPU (912) (or graphics processing circuit) may be configured to execute parallel operations (e.g., rendering). The NPU (913) (or neural processing circuit, or AI (artificial intelligence) chip) may be configured to execute operations for an artificial intelligence model (e.g., convolution computation). An ISP (914) (or image signal processing circuit) may be configured to process a raw image acquired through an image sensor (950) into a format suitable for a component within the electronic device (900) or a component of the processor (910). A display controller (915) (or display control circuit, or DPU (display processing unit)) may be configured to process an image acquired from a CPU (911), GPU (912), ISP (914), or memory (920) (e.g., volatile memory (921)) into a format suitable for a display (940). A memory controller (916) (or memory control circuit) may be configured to control reading data from volatile memory (921) and writing data to volatile memory (921). A storage controller (917) (or storage control circuit) may be configured to control reading data from non-volatile memory (922) and writing data to non-volatile memory (922).The CP (918) (communication processing circuit) may be configured to process data obtained from a component of the processor (910) into a format suitable for transmitting to another electronic device via the communication circuit (960), or to process data obtained from another electronic device via the communication circuit (960) into a format suitable for processing by the component of the processor (910). For example, the communication circuit (960) may include one or more communication circuits. The sensor interface (919) (or sensing data processing circuit, sensor hub) may be configured to process data regarding the state of the electronic device (900) and / or the state around the electronic device (900), obtained through the sensor (970), into a format suitable for the component of the processor (910).

[0092] Memory (920) may include one or more storage media (or one or more storage devices). For example, memory (920) may include a memory assembly comprising one or more storage media. For example, the one or more storage media may include a hard drive, a permanent memory such as flash memory, read-only memory (ROM) (e.g., non-volatile memory (922)), a semi-permanent memory such as random access memory (RAM) (e.g., volatile memory (921)), any other suitable type of storage (or storage assembly), or any combination thereof. Memory (920) may include a cache memory, which is one or more different types of memory used to temporarily store data for a function or feature of the electronic device (900). As an example not limited to, the cache memory may be included within the processor (910). The memory (920) may be fixedly embedded within the electronic device (900) or incorporated into one or more suitable types of components (e.g., a SIM (subscriber identity module) card and / or an SD (secure digital) card) that can be repeatedly inserted into and removed from the electronic device (900).

[0093] For example, memory (920) may store one or more software applications, such as operating system (or system) software applications, firmware software applications, driver software applications, plugin (e.g., add-in, add-on, and / or applet) software applications, and / or any other suitable software applications. For example, the one or more software applications may include instructions executable by the processor (910). For example, memory (920) may store instructions that can be called by an application programming interface (API). For example, memory (920) may store instructions within a library.

[0094] Referring to FIGS. 1 through 9, an electronic device (10; 900) according to one embodiment may include at least one communication circuit (190a, 190b) comprising a first transmission path (501) and a second transmission path (502); a transceiver (190c) electrically connected to the at least one communication circuit; at least one processor (120; 910) electrically connected to the transceiver; and a power modulator (520) configured to supply power to a first PA (power amplifier, 511) of the first transmission path or a second PA (512) of the second transmission path. The power modulator may be electrically connected to the first PA through a first feed path (521) connected between a first point (P1) and the first PA. The power modulator may be electrically connected to the second PA through a second feed path (522) branched from the first point and connected to the second PA. The first power supply path may include a first inductor (601) connected between the first point and the first PA. The second power supply path may include a second inductor (602) connected between the second point and the second PA.

[0095] For example, the first power supply path (521) is shorter than the second power supply path (522), and the second inductance of the second inductor (602) may be lower than the first inductance of the first inductor (601). For example, the second inductance may be set based on an inductance component associated with the length of the second power supply path.

[0096] According to one embodiment, the power modulator may be connected to a first feedback path (541) branched from a second point (P2) between the first inductor and the first PA, or a second feedback path (542) branched from a third point (P3) between the second inductor and the second PA. For example, the electronic device may further include a switch (750b) configured to selectively connect the first feedback path or the second feedback path to the power modulator. For example, the power modulator may include a switching circuit (750a) configured to selectively connect the first feedback path or the second feedback path to the power modulator. The power modulator may be configured to monitor a first power supplied to the first PA through the first feedback path, or a second power supplied to the second PA through the second feedback path.

[0097] The power modulator may be configured to supply power to the first PA or the second PA based on average power tracking (APT). The power modulator may include a direct current-direct current (DCDC) switching-based buck-boost converter.

[0098] In one embodiment, the electronic device may further include a printed circuit board. The first power supply path may include at least one first conductive pattern formed on the printed circuit board. The second power supply path may include at least one second conductive pattern formed on the printed circuit board.

[0099] According to one embodiment, the circuit board may include at least one communication circuit (190a, 190b) comprising a first transmission path (501) and a second transmission path (502); and a power modulator (520) configured to supply power to a first PA (power amplifier, 511) of the first transmission path or a second PA (512) of the second transmission path. The power modulator may be electrically connected to the first PA through a first feed path (521) connected between a first point (P1) and the first PA. The power modulator may be electrically connected to the second PA through a second feed path (522) branched from the first point and connected to the second PA. The first feed path may include a first inductor (601) connected between the first point and the first PA. The second power supply path may include a second inductor (602) connected between the second point and the second PA.

[0100] For example, the first power supply path (521) is shorter than the second power supply path (522), and the second inductance of the second inductor (602) may be lower than the first inductance of the first inductor (601). For example, the second inductance may be set based on an inductance component associated with the length of the second power supply path. For example, the first power supply path may include at least one first conductive pattern formed on the circuit board. The second power supply path may include at least one second conductive pattern formed on the circuit board.

[0101] According to one embodiment, the power modulator may be connected to a first feedback path (541) branched from a second point (P2) between the first inductor and the first PA, or a second feedback path (542) branched from a third point (P3) between the second inductor and the second PA. For example, the circuit board may further include a switch (750b) configured to selectively connect the first feedback path or the second feedback path to the power modulator. For example, the power modulator may include a switching circuit (750a) configured to selectively connect the first feedback path or the second feedback path to the power modulator. The power modulator may be configured to monitor a first power supplied to the first PA through the first feedback path, or a second power supplied to the second PA through the second feedback path.

[0102] The power modulator may be configured to supply power to the first PA or the second PA based on average power tracking (APT). The power modulator may include a direct current-direct current (DCDC) switching-based buck-boost converter.

Claims

1. In an electronic device (10; 900), At least one communication circuit (190a, 190b) including a first transmission path (501) and a second transmission path (502); A transceiver (190c) electrically connected to at least one communication circuit; At least one processor (120; 910) electrically connected to the above transceiver; and It includes a power modulator (520) configured to supply power to the first PA (power amplifier, 511) of the first transmission path or the second PA (512) of the second transmission path, and The above power modulator is electrically connected to the first PA through a first power supply path (521) connected between the first point (P1) and the first PA, and The power modulator is electrically connected to the second PA through a second power supply path (522) that branches off from the first point and is connected to the second PA, and The first power supply path includes a first inductor (601) connected between the first point and the first PA, and The electronic device, wherein the second power supply path includes a second inductor (602) connected between the second point and the second PA.

2. In Paragraph 1, The first power supply path (521) is shorter than the second power supply path (522), and An electronic device in which the second inductance of the second inductor (602) is lower than the first inductance of the first inductor (601).

3. In Paragraph 2, An electronic device in which the second inductance is set based on an inductance component associated with the length of the second feed path.

4. In Paragraph 1, The above power modulator is: A first feedback path (541) branched from a second point (P2) between the first inductor and the first PA, or An electronic device connected to a second feedback path (542) branched from a third point (P3) between the second inductor and the second PA.

5. In Paragraph 4, An electronic device further comprising a switch (750b) configured to selectively connect the first feedback path or the second feedback path to the power modulator.

6. In Paragraph 4, The electronic device comprising a switching circuit (750a) configured to selectively connect the first feedback path or the second feedback path to the power modulator.

7. In Paragraph 4, The above power modulator is: The first power supplied to the first PA through the first feedback path, or An electronic device configured to monitor the second power supplied to the second PA through the second feedback path.

8. In Paragraph 4, The above power modulator is an electronic device configured to supply power to the first PA or the second PA based on APT (average power tracking).

9. In Paragraph 8, The above power modulator is an electronic device comprising a DCDC (direct current-direct current) switching-based buck-boost converter.

10. In Paragraph 1, It further includes a printed circuit board, The first power supply path comprises at least one first conductive pattern formed on the printed circuit board (at), and The electronic device, wherein the second power supply path comprises at least one second conductive pattern formed on the printed circuit board.

11. In a circuit board, At least one communication circuit (190a, 190b) including a first transmission path (501) and a second transmission path (502); and It includes a power modulator (520) configured to supply power to the first PA (power amplifier, 511) of the first transmission path or the second PA (512) of the second transmission path, and The above power modulator is electrically connected to the first PA through a first power supply path (521) connected between the first point (P1) and the first PA, and The power modulator is electrically connected to the second PA through a second power supply path (522) that branches off from the first point and is connected to the second PA, and The first power supply path includes a first inductor (601) connected between the first point and the first PA, and The above second power supply path is a circuit board including a second inductor (602) connected between the second point and the second PA.

12. In Paragraph 11, The first power supply path (521) is shorter than the second power supply path (522), and A circuit board in which the second inductance of the second inductor (602) is lower than the first inductance of the first inductor (601).

13. In Paragraph 12, A circuit board in which the second inductance is set based on an inductance component associated with the length of the second feed path.

14. In Paragraph 11, The above power modulator is: A first feedback path (541) branched from a second point (P2) between the first inductor and the first PA, or A circuit board connected to a second feedback path (542) branched from a third point (P3) between the second inductor and the second PA.

15. In Paragraph 14, A circuit board further comprising a switch (750b) configured to selectively connect the first feedback path or the second feedback path to the power modulator.

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