Multi-Mode Amplifier Circuit for Wide-Range Efficiency Peaks
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing amplifier circuits, such as Load Modulated Balanced Amplifiers (LMBAs), have limited efficiency maxima, requiring numerous stages to achieve high efficiency across a wide amplitude range, and large impedance ratios lead to transformer loss and potential distortion.
Innovation Solution
Implementing multiple operational modes for the control and balanced amplifiers, including ramping up, maintaining, and reversing phases, and adding additional balanced amplifier stages, to create multiple efficiency maxima, increasing efficiency maxima exponentially with stages.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If multiple amplifier stages are added to increase efficiency maxima, then efficiency is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The amplifier circuit is divided into multiple independent amplifier stages, each capable of operating in saturation mode. By segmenting the amplification function across multiple stages with different saturation power levels, the system achieves multiple efficiency maxima across different output power ranges, resolving the contradiction between efficiency and complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The amplifier circuit dynamically switches between different amplifier stages based on the required output power level. Each stage can be independently controlled to operate in saturation mode, allowing the system to adapt its configuration to achieve high efficiency at various operating points without requiring a single complex high-power stage.
2Power
If large impedance ratios are used between amplifier parts, then power distribution is improved, but transformation losses increase
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using a single large impedance transformation ratio, the system segments the power distribution across multiple amplifier stages with progressively different impedance levels. Each stage handles a portion of the total power, allowing for more gradual and efficient impedance matching that reduces transformation losses while maintaining effective power distribution.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and apparatus are provided. In an example aspect, a method of operating an amplifier circuit is provided. The amplifier circuit comprises a first amplifier configured to receive a first signal, a balanced amplifier comprising second and third amplifiers and configured to receive a second signal, and a first directional coupler. An output of the first amplifier is connected to a transmitted port of the first directional coupler, an output of the second amplifier is connected to an input port of the first directional coupler, an output of the third amplifier is connected to an isolated port of the first directional coupler, and a coupled port of the first directional coupler is connected to an output of the amplifier circuit. The method comprises operating the amplifier circuit in a first output peak amplitude range of the amplifier circuit wherein, in the first output peak amplitude range, the first signal is based on a signal to be amplified and has an amplitude that increases across the first output peak amplitude range from substantially zero to a first amplitude, and the second signal is substantially zero, and operating the amplifier circuit in a second output peak amplitude range of the amplifier circuit, wherein the second output peak amplitude range is higher than the first output peak amplitude range and wherein, in the second output peak amplitude range, the first signal is based on the signal to be amplified and has an amplitude that decreases across the second output peak amplitude range from the first amplitude to a second amplitude, and the second signal is based on the signal to be amplified and has an amplitude that increases across the second output peak amplitude range from a third amplitude to a fourth amplitude.