Doherty Amplifier Splitter Calibration for Phase-Attenuation Search
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Solution Overview
Problem
Calibrating a Doherty amplifier's power splitter with adjustable attenuation and phase states is impractical due to the vast number of possible combinations, making it time-consuming and inefficient to find optimal settings for desired RF performance.
Innovation Solution
A method and system for efficiently calibrating the power splitter by reducing the number of combinations tested, using a controller to sweep through phase and attenuation states, identifying optimal settings through measurements of peak power and efficiency, and configuring the adjustable attenuators and phase shifters to achieve maximum efficiency and linearity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If all possible combinations of attenuation and phase states are inspected to identify optimal calibration, then measurement precision is improved, but loss of time increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The calibration process is segmented into two distinct phases: a coarse calibration phase that establishes initial attenuation and phase values, and a fine calibration phase that performs localized searches around those initial values. This segmentation avoids the need to inspect all possible combinations while still achieving optimal calibration accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The coarse calibration is performed as a preliminary action to establish starting values for attenuation and phase. These preliminary values serve as the basis for the subsequent fine calibration, eliminating the need to start from scratch and reducing the total search space for optimal calibration.
2Productivity
If the number of attenuation and phase state combinations is reduced for faster calibration, then productivity is improved, but measurement precision deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The calibration search space is segmented into a broad coarse search and a focused fine search. The coarse calibration covers a wide range of attenuation and phase values quickly, while the fine calibration concentrates computational effort on a smaller region around the coarse results, maintaining precision while improving overall speed.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of performing a complete exhaustive search of all possible combinations, the method performs partial searches - first a coarse partial search to identify promising regions, then a fine partial search around those regions. This partial action approach achieves sufficient precision without the excessive time cost of complete enumeration.
3Loss of time
If coarse and fine calibration phases are implemented, then loss of time is reduced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The calibration algorithm is segmented into distinct coarse and fine phases with clear separation of responsibilities. The coarse phase handles broad parameter exploration while the fine phase handles precision optimization, making the overall complex process more manageable and implementable through modular software components.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method of calibrating an amplifier are presented. The amplifier has a first amplification path and a second amplification path. A first state of the amplifier is identified defining a first phase shift of the first path and a second phase shift of the second path resulting in a maximum efficiency of the amplifier when an attenuation of the first path and an attenuation of the second path are set to first attenuation values. The attenuation of the first path and the attenuation of the second path is set to achieve a maximum efficiency of the amplifier when the phase shift of the first path and the phase shift of the second path are set according to the first state.