Multi-Amplifier Outphasing for High-PAR Communication Signals
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current communication signal amplification methods suffer from reduced efficiency when dealing with high peak-to-average power ratio (PAR) and high operational bandwidth signals, particularly in wireless communication networks like LTE, where existing amplifiers struggle to maintain efficiency with carrier aggregation techniques.
Innovation Solution
The use of a three-amplifier system comprising a primary amplifier, a secondary amplifier, and an auxiliary amplifier operating under Chireix out-phasing architecture, where the communication signal is decomposed into lower and upper portions, each amplified separately and then combined to enhance efficiency, particularly for signals with high PAR and wide bandwidths.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If a single amplifier or conventional amplifier architecture is used, then the device complexity is low, but the amplification efficiency deteriorates when handling high PAR and wide bandwidth signals
Solution Approach 1:
The communication signal is segmented into multiple portions based on magnitude thresholds. A processor decomposes the input signal into a lower portion signal (below threshold) and an upper portion signal (above threshold). The lower portion is further decomposed into first and second lower portion sub-signals with constant magnitudes. This segmentation allows each amplifier to operate on optimized signal portions, improving overall efficiency while managing complexity through functional division.
Solution Approach 2:
The amplifier architecture dynamically switches between different amplifier configurations based on signal characteristics. The system transitions from using only primary and secondary amplifiers for low-power signals to including the auxiliary amplifier for high-power signals. This dynamic adaptation allows the system to optimize efficiency for varying signal conditions, particularly for high PAR signals where the auxiliary amplifier provides crucial efficiency improvement during peak operation.
2Productivity
If carrier aggregation techniques are employed to increase data rate, then the data handling capacity is improved, but the amplification efficiency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The multi-carrier aggregation signal is processed by segmenting it into multiple magnitude-based portions. Each carrier component within the aggregated signal undergoes the same decomposition process, allowing the amplifier system to handle multiple frequency bands efficiently. The primary, secondary, and auxiliary amplifiers work together to amplify different segments of the aggregated signal, maintaining efficiency across the entire carrier aggregation bandwidth.
3Productivity
If the operational bandwidth is increased to improve data rate, then the data handling capacity is improved, but the amplification efficiency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The amplifier system dynamically adjusts its operation across the expanded bandwidth by switching between amplification modes. The auxiliary amplifier is activated for high-power signal portions across the wide bandwidth, while primary and secondary amplifiers handle lower power portions. This dynamic operation maintains high efficiency across the entire operational bandwidth, enabling the system to handle wideband signals like LTE without the efficiency penalties typically associated with bandwidth expansion.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to an amplifying system (100) for amplifying a communication signal, the amplifying system (100) comprising a processor (101) being configured to compare magnitudes of the communication signal with a predetermined threshold, and to decompose the communication signal into a lower portion communication signal and an upper portion communication signal upon the basis of the predetermined threshold, wherein the lower portion communication signal indicates magnitudes of the communication signal below the predetermined threshold, and wherein the upper portion communication signal indicates magnitudes of the communication signal above the predetermined threshold, wherein the processor (101) is further configured to decompose the lower portion communication signal into a first lower portion communication sub-signal and a second lower portion communication sub-signal, the first lower portion communication sub-signal and the second lower portion communication sub-signal respectively having constant magnitudes, a primary amplifier (103) being configured to amplify a first amplifier signal derived from the first lower portion communication sub-signal to obtain a first amplified lower portion communication sub-signal, a secondary amplifier (105) being configured to amplify a second amplifier signal derived from the second lower portion communication sub-signal to obtain a second amplified lower portion communication sub-signal, an auxiliary amplifier (107) being configured to amplify a third amplifier signal derived from the upper portion communication signal to obtain an amplified upper portion communication signal, and a combiner (109) being configured to combine the first amplified lower portion communication sub-signal with the second amplified lower portion communication sub-signal to obtain an amplified lower portion communication signal, and to combine the amplified lower portion communication signal with the amplified upper portion communication signal to obtain an amplified communication signal.