Nested Quadrature Power Amplifier for Stepped Output Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Phased array antenna systems face challenges in achieving evenly stepped output power levels without reducing power-added efficiency, as existing solutions often result in inefficiencies and mismatched amplitude and phase transfer characteristics when operating at different power levels.
Innovation Solution
A reconfigurable power amplifier architecture utilizing N-level nested reconfigurable Lange couplers, which provide 2N evenly stepped output power levels and 3.01N dB of range, maintaining closely matched amplitude and phase modulation characteristics across all power states by operating in quadrature, through, or coupled modes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If existing solutions operate the power amplifier in back-off or use multiple power amplifier designs, then different output power levels are achieved, but power-added efficiency is reduced and amplitude and phase transfer characteristics become mismatched
Solution Approach 1:
The power amplifier is divided into multiple identical constituent amplifiers (2N amplifiers for 2N power levels) that are combined through reconfigurable quadrature couplers. Each amplifier operates at a consistent power level, and the couplers selectively combine their outputs to achieve different total power levels (100%, 75%, 50%, 25%, etc.), thereby maintaining efficiency across all output power states.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses reconfigurable quadrature couplers with dynamically adjustable reflection coefficients at their ports. By changing the reflection coefficient values (e.g., from 0 to 1), the couplers can reconfigure the signal paths to achieve different power combination states, enabling the amplifier to dynamically switch between multiple output power levels while maintaining matched transfer characteristics.
2Adaptability or versatility
If existing solutions use multiple power amplifier designs, then different output power levels are achieved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses 2N identical constituent power amplifiers that serve multiple functions. Each amplifier can contribute to different total power levels by being selectively combined through the reconfigurable couplers. This universal approach eliminates the need for multiple different amplifier designs, reducing device complexity while maintaining the ability to achieve multiple output power levels.
Solution Approach 2:
The architecture employs N-level nested reconfigurable quadrature couplers arranged in a tree structure. The couplers are nested hierarchically, with each level combining signals from the previous level. This nested structure enables 2N evenly stepped power levels from 2N identical amplifiers, providing a scalable and systematic approach that reduces overall system complexity.
3Adaptability or versatility
If power amplifier operates at different power levels, then output power is adjusted, but amplitude and phase transfer characteristics become mismatched
Solution Approach 1:
The reconfigurable quadrature couplers have locally adjustable properties at each port through controllable reflection coefficients. By independently adjusting the reflection coefficient at each port of the couplers, the system can maintain matched amplitude and phase transfer characteristics for each signal path while achieving different total power levels, ensuring consistent performance across all power states.
4Adaptability or versatility
If N-level nested reconfigurable Lange couplers are used, then 2N evenly stepped output power levels are achieved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system employs N-level nested reconfigurable quadrature couplers arranged in a tree structure where each coupler is contained within a hierarchical framework. This nesting allows 2N identical amplifiers to be combined into 2N evenly stepped power levels through systematic reconfiguration, providing a scalable architecture where the complexity grows predictably with N rather than requiring completely different designs for each power level.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is a reconfigurable power amplifier having a 2N−1 number of input-side reconfigurable quadrature couplers connected in a tree structure, wherein a 2(N−1) number of the input-side reconfigurable quadrature couplers have coupler output terminals, and a root of the tree structure is one of the input-side reconfigurable quadrature couplers having a main input terminal. Also included is a 2N−1 number of output-side reconfigurable quadrature couplers connected in a tree structure, wherein a 2(N−1) number of the output-side reconfigurable quadrature couplers have coupler input terminals, and a root of the tree structure is one of the output-side reconfigurable quadrature couplers having a main output terminal. Further included is a 2N number of constituent amplifiers divided into amplifier pairs having amplifier input terminals connected to corresponding ones of the coupler output terminals and having amplifier output terminals coupled to corresponding ones of the coupler input terminals.