Multi-Channel Doherty Amplifier With Shared Core and Private Peaking Paths
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional Doherty power amplifiers for MIMO transmitters are bulky, inefficient, and costly due to their single-input single-output design, which becomes exacerbated in multi-antenna systems, leading to poor channel performance consistency and high manufacturing failure rates, especially as the number of transmitter paths increases in 4G and 5G systems.
Innovation Solution
A multi-channel Doherty amplifier design featuring multiple private peaking amplifiers and a shared common Doherty core, with a power divider and Doherty combiner, that allows for efficient amplification and combination of signals across multiple channels, reducing component count and improving channel performance consistency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If traditional SISO Doherty PA design is used for MIMO transmitter, then each transmitter path can be designed individually, but the system becomes bulky, costly, and has poor channel performance consistency
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple transmitter paths into a single MIMO Doherty PA architecture, merging the power amplification resources across multiple channels. Instead of using separate PAs for each transmit antenna, the invention shares carrier and peaking amplifiers across multiple output paths through a common Doherty core, reducing overall system complexity and size while maintaining individual channel performance
Solution Approach 2:
The carrier amplifier and peaking amplifiers are designed to serve multiple functions simultaneously - they amplify signals for multiple transmit paths rather than being dedicated to a single channel. This multi-functional design allows the same hardware resources to support multiple antenna elements, reducing the total component count and improving channel consistency
2Reliability
If more amplifiers are used for single transmitter path to handle high PAPR, then the Doherty region can be extended, but the cost and manufacturing failure rate increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple amplifier cells into a shared Doherty core that serves multiple transmitter paths. Instead of duplicating complete Doherty amplifier chains for each path, the invention consolidates the carrier and peaking amplifiers into common resources that are shared across all MIMO paths, reducing the total number of amplifier cells while extending the Doherty region through coordinated operation
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the Doherty amplifier functionality into separate carrier and peaking paths that can be independently optimized and then combined. This segmentation allows the carrier amplifier to handle continuous wave signals while peaking amplifiers handle envelope variations, extending the Doherty region without requiring proportionally more amplifier cells for each path
3Adaptability or versatility
If traditional MIMO design with separate PAs is used, then each path operates independently, but the PCB area and cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple independent PA paths into a single integrated MIMO Doherty PA module. By combining the power amplification functions and sharing common components (carrier amplifier, peaking amplifiers, bias circuits, control logic), the design dramatically reduces the PCB area required compared to having separate PAs for each transmit path, while still maintaining independent signal processing capability through the MIMO architecture
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments of the disclosure generally relate to a multi-channel Doherty power amplifier, a multi-antenna transmitter, and a method for turning on the multi-channel Doherty amplifier. The multi-channel Doherty power amplifier includes: multiple input ports and the same number of output ports corresponding to multiple channels, the multiple channels having the same characteristics for radio signal amplification and transmission; multiple private peaking amplifiers corresponding to the multiple channels; and a common Doherty core shared by the multiple private peaking amplifiers. The multiple private peaking amplifiers and the common Doherty core are configured to amplify identical multi-channel signal for multiple inputs and multiple outputs, thus higher saving ratio and better channel performance (output power, linearity, efficiency, power gain etc.) consistency would be greatly improved.