Polyphase Amplifier Circuit for Phase and Amplitude Balance
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The performance of mixers, such as image rejection mixers and I/Q-modulators, is frequency-dependent and requires additional amplifier stages to maintain signal quality, leading to increased power consumption and circuit size due to cascading polyphase filters.
Innovation Solution
An amplifier circuit with two sequences of transistor amplifiers, where the first sequence converts phase errors into amplitude errors and the second sequence provides feedback for reduced phase and amplitude errors, allowing for improved signal quality without additional amplifier stages or increased circuit size.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If cascading polyphase filters are used to increase signal quality, then phase and amplitude balance is improved, but circuit area and power consumption increase due to additional amplifier stages
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the filtering and amplification functions into a single integrated amplifier circuit that processes multiple phase-shifted signals simultaneously. The amplifier circuit includes multiple transistor amplifiers arranged in parallel, each receiving a different phase-shifted signal from the polyphase filter, thereby eliminating the need for separate amplifier stages for each signal path and reducing overall circuit area.
Solution Approach 2:
The amplifier circuit is designed as a universal structure that can handle multiple phase-shifted signals (e.g., quadrature signals with 90-degree phase differences) through a common amplification topology. Each transistor amplifier in the parallel configuration performs the same amplification function but on different input signals, allowing the circuit to maintain signal quality across multiple frequency components without requiring additional specialized stages.
2Measurement precision
If cascading polyphase filters are used to increase signal quality, then phase and amplitude balance is improved, but power consumption increases due to additional amplifier stages
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple amplification functions into a single parallel amplifier structure where transistor amplifiers process different phase-shifted signals simultaneously. This consolidation eliminates the need for cascaded amplifier stages that would otherwise be required to compensate for filter losses, thereby reducing the total number of active components and lowering overall power consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The amplifier circuit uses identical transistor amplifier copies arranged in parallel, each handling a different phase-shifted signal. This modular copying approach allows the circuit to achieve the necessary signal quality improvement through parallel processing rather than serial cascading, reducing the cumulative power consumption that would result from multiple sequential amplifier stages.
3Measurement precision
If additional amplifier stages are added to maintain signal quality, then phase and amplitude balance is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple signal processing functions into a single integrated amplifier circuit with parallel transistor amplifiers. Instead of adding separate amplifier stages in series to improve signal quality, the invention uses parallel processing where multiple amplifiers work simultaneously on different phase-shifted signals, thereby maintaining signal quality without increasing the sequential complexity of the circuit architecture.
Data Source
AI summary
Described are an amplifier circuits, systems, and methods for amplifying a plurality of sinusoid signals having a relative phase difference to each other. The amplifier circuit comprises a first sequence of at least three transistor amplifiers, wherein a first terminal of each transistor amplifier of the first sequence is configured to receive one respective signal of the plurality sinusoid signals. The amplifier further comprises a second sequence of at least three transistor amplifiers. A second terminal of each transistor amplifier of the second sequence is connected to a third terminal of one respective transistor amplifier of the first sequence. A first terminal of each transistor amplifier of the second sequence is connected to the third terminal of a next transistor amplifier of the second sequence. The first terminal of a last transistor amplifier is connected to the third terminal of a first transistor amplifier.