Co-Located Envelope Tracking Drivers for Linear mmWave Power Amplifiers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Mobile communication devices face increased power consumption and thermal dissipation due to higher output power requirements for RF signals, compromising performance and user experience, especially with the adoption of advanced wireless communication technologies like LTE and 5G-NR.
Innovation Solution
A multi-amplifier envelope tracking (ET) circuit and apparatus that concurrently amplifies RF signals using ET voltages and low-frequency currents, with driver circuits co-located with amplifier circuits to improve efficiency and linearity, particularly at higher modulation bandwidths, ensuring efficient power management and reduced thermal dissipation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If sophisticated power amplifiers are employed to increase output power of RF signals, then data rates are improved, but power consumption and thermal dissipation increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic voltage adjustment through envelope tracking, where the supply voltage to power amplifiers is continuously modulated to match the instantaneous signal envelope. This dynamic operation allows amplifiers to operate at optimal efficiency points across varying signal conditions, reducing overall power consumption while maintaining high data rate capability
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the operating parameters of power amplifiers by applying time-variant voltages that track the signal envelope. This parameter modulation enables the amplifiers to maintain high efficiency across different output power levels, thereby reducing power consumption without sacrificing data rate performance
2Productivity
If sophisticated power amplifiers are employed to increase output power of RF signals, then data rates are improved, but thermal dissipation increases
Solution Approach 1:
By dynamically adjusting the supply voltage to match the signal envelope in real-time, the system minimizes the voltage difference across amplifier devices during low-signal periods, thereby reducing power dissipation and thermal generation while maintaining high data rate capability during peak transmission
3Reliability
If driver circuits are co-located with amplifier circuits, then efficiency and linearity are improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges driver circuits with amplifier circuits into integrated units, where each amplifier has its dedicated co-located driver. This integration improves efficiency and linearity by minimizing signal path length and impedance mismatches, while the modular nature of the integration keeps the overall device complexity manageable
4Power
If multiple amplifier circuits amplify RF signals concurrently, then output power is improved, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the power amplification function into multiple parallel amplifier circuits, each handling a portion of the total output power requirement. By applying envelope tracking to each amplifier individually, the system ensures that each segment operates at high efficiency, thereby achieving high total output power without proportionally increasing overall power consumption
Data Source
AI summary
A multi-amplifier envelope tracking (ET) circuit and related apparatus are provided. The multi-amplifier ET circuit includes a number of amplifier circuits configured to amplify concurrently a radio frequency (RF) signal to generate a number of amplified RF signals for concurrent transmission, for example, in a millimeter wave (mmWave) spectrum. The amplifier circuits are configured to amplify the RF signal based on a number of ET voltages and a number of low-frequency currents, respectively. A number of driver circuits is provided in the multi-amplifier ET circuit to generate the ET voltages and the low-frequency currents for the amplifier circuits, respectively. In examples discussed herein, the driver circuits are co-located with the amplifier circuits to help improve efficiency and maintain linearity in the amplifier circuits, particularly when the RF signal is modulated at a higher modulation bandwidth (e.g., >80 MHz).