Envelope Tracking Circuit for Multi-PA Power Dissipation Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
The increased complexity of mobile communication devices with multiple transceiver circuits and antennas leads to higher power dissipation, compromising performance and user experience, as existing power amplifier circuits struggle to efficiently manage power in higher frequency spectrums.
Innovation Solution
An envelope tracking (ET) circuit and power amplifier system that generates multiple ET modulated voltages based on target voltages, allowing flexible power management for various transceiver and power amplifier circuits, using a control circuit to couple tracker circuits with voltage inputs and outputs to optimize ET voltage generation and distribution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If multiple transceiver circuits and power amplifier circuits are employed to support higher data rates and MIMO operations, then wireless communication performance and data rates are improved, but power dissipation increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic voltage scaling through envelope tracking circuits that continuously adjust the supply voltage to power amplifier circuits based on the instantaneous signal envelope. This dynamic adjustment allows the system to maintain high performance when needed while reducing power consumption during low-activity periods, directly addressing the contradiction between productivity and energy loss
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the voltage parameter dynamically by using envelope tracking to modulate the supply voltage according to the signal characteristics. This parameter change enables the power amplifier to operate efficiently across different power levels, improving the trade-off between data rate capability and power dissipation
2Loss of energy
If envelope tracking circuits are added to improve power amplifier efficiency, then power dissipation is reduced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The envelope tracking circuit is designed with universal applicability to support multiple transceiver circuits and power amplifier configurations. The same basic ET circuit architecture can serve different numbers and types of power amplifiers, reducing the need for separate dedicated circuits for each amplifier and thereby limiting the increase in overall device complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The system segments the power management function into separate envelope tracking circuits that can be selectively deployed. Rather than implementing a monolithic complex power management system, the patent uses modular ET circuits that can be added incrementally, allowing the system to achieve power reduction without proportionally increasing overall complexity
Data Source
AI summary
Envelope tracking circuit and related power amplifier system are provided. In one aspect, an ET circuit is configured to generate a first number of ET modulated voltages based on a second number of target voltages and output the first number of ET modulated voltages via a third number of voltage outputs. In another aspect, the ET circuit can be provided in a power amplifier system including a transceiver circuit(s) and a number of power amplifier circuits. In examples discussed herein, the ET circuit may receive the second number of target voltages from the transceiver circuit(s) and provide the first number of ET modulated voltages to the power amplifier circuits for amplifying a radio frequency (RF) signal(s). By providing the ET circuit in the power amplifier system, it is possible to flexibly enable ET power management based on any number of transceiver circuits and for any number of power amplifier circuits.