Envelope Tracking IC Target Voltage Generation for 5G RF Envelopes
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Solution Overview
Problem
In 5G-NR wireless communication systems, the RF signal's high modulation bandwidth and millimeter wave spectrum make it susceptible to propagation attenuation and interference, leading to reduced data throughput. Existing envelope tracking (ET) power management circuits struggle to efficiently track the time-variant power envelope of the RF signal, resulting in reduced efficiency and linearity of power amplifiers.
Innovation Solution
The proposed solution involves an envelope tracking (ET) integrated circuit (ETIC) that generates a time-variant target voltage based on a sensed signal with a time-variant sensed envelope, which tracks the time-variant power envelope of the RF signal. This self-contained ETIC configuration allows for better tracking of the RF signal's power envelope, improving the efficiency and linearity of power amplifiers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If existing envelope tracking power management circuits are used to track the time-variant power envelope of the RF signal, then the power amplifier efficiency is improved, but the tracking precision deteriorates due to the high modulation bandwidth and millimeter wave spectrum characteristics
Solution Approach 1:
The RF signal processing is divided into multiple time intervals corresponding to OFDM symbols. The envelope tracking circuit processes each symbol separately, generating target voltages for each interval. This segmentation allows the circuit to handle the high bandwidth signal in manageable portions, improving tracking precision without sacrificing overall efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The circuit generates the time-variant target voltage in advance for each OFDM symbol based on the sensed signal envelope. By preparing the target voltage before the power amplifier operates, the system ensures accurate tracking is established beforehand, addressing the precision requirements of millimeter wave communications.
2Productivity
If the modulation bandwidth is increased to achieve higher data rates in 5G-NR, then the data throughput is improved, but the transition settling time between OFDM symbols is reduced, making envelope tracking more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The envelope tracking circuit dynamically adjusts the target voltage for each OFDM symbol based on the sensed signal characteristics. The circuit responds to transitions between symbols by generating appropriate target voltages that account for the reduced settling time, enabling accurate tracking despite the high data rate requirements of 5G-NR.
3Measurement precision
If a self-contained ETIC configuration is implemented to generate target voltage internally, then the tracking precision is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The ETIC integrates the sensed signal generation, envelope detection, and target voltage generation functions into a single self-contained circuit block. By merging these functions, the system achieves precise tracking without requiring external circuits, and the overall complexity is managed through functional integration rather than separate components.
Solution Approach 2:
The ETIC circuit performs multiple functions: it senses the RF signal, detects the envelope, generates the sensed signal, and produces the target voltage. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate dedicated circuits, achieving precision tracking while managing device complexity through universal circuit design.
Data Source
AI summary
Target voltage generation in an envelope tracking (ET) integrated circuit (ETIC) is provided. The ETIC is configured to generate a time-variant ET voltage based on a time-variant target voltage for amplifying a radio frequency (RF) signal modulated for communication in multiple time intervals. In embodiments disclosed herein, the ETIC is self-contained to generate the time-variant target voltage based on a sensed signal having a time-variant sensed envelope that tracks a time-variant power envelope of the RF signal. Since the time-variant target voltage is generated to track the time-variant sensed envelope, which further tracks the time-variant power envelope, the time-variant ET voltage can better track the time-variant power envelope of the RF signal when the time-variant ET voltage is provided to a power amplifier(s) that amplifies the RF signal.