Binary Weighted Transmitter Paths for Low Voltage Linearity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current wireless transmitter designs consume high power due to their high voltage supply and linearity requirements, leading to increased power consumption and interference issues such as imaging and local oscillator feed through.
Innovation Solution
The transmitter is divided into N binary weighted paths, scaling power hungry block currents to reduce overall power consumption, eliminating the need for device stacking and maintaining local oscillation isolation at low TX power, while achieving improved linearity with a lower supply voltage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If high voltage supply is used to maintain linearity in transmitter, then linearity is improved, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The transmitter is divided into N binary weighted paths, where each path has scaled-down block currents. This segmentation allows the system to achieve the required linearity through multiple lower-power paths rather than requiring high voltage supply in a single path, thereby reducing overall power consumption while maintaining linearity performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the operating parameters by scaling power hungry block currents in each binary weighted path and operating at lower supply voltages. This parameter change enables the transmitter to achieve improved linearity through the combined effect of multiple paths rather than relying on high voltage supply, thus reducing power consumption.
2Manufacturing precision
If high voltage supply is used to maintain linearity in transmitter, then linearity is improved, but interference issues such as imaging and local oscillator feed through increase
Solution Approach 1:
The transmitter is divided into N binary weighted paths with scaled block currents, which reduces the voltage headroom requirements in each path. This segmentation lowers the operating voltage level, thereby reducing interference issues such as imaging and local oscillator feed through that are associated with high voltage supply, while still maintaining overall linearity through the combined output of all paths.
3Reliability
If device stacking is used to maintain local oscillation isolation, then isolation is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the operating parameters by scaling block currents and operating at lower supply voltages in binary weighted paths. This parameter change maintains local oscillation isolation without requiring device stacking, as the reduced voltage headroom in each path inherently reduces interference. This approach achieves the isolation requirement while avoiding the increased device complexity that would result from stacking devices.
Data Source
AI summary
A wireless communications transmitter is divided into N binary weighted communication signal processing paths including both fixed and variable gain communication signal processing chains. Specific bit sequences are used to select a combination of fixed and variable gain signal processing paths to adjust to a desired transmitter output power. Alternately, high and low power communication signal processing paths are chosen as needed with the high power communication signal processing path including an odd order harmonic notch filter.