Pre-processing Unit for Signal Processor Ripple Compensation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Mobile communication devices face inefficiencies in power amplifiers due to high power dissipation and unwanted signal characteristics from DCDC converters, which affect battery life and signal quality.

Innovation Solution

A pre-processing unit is introduced to compensate for undesired signal characteristics in the supply voltage by pre-processing data based on control signals describing ripple and pulse width modulation values, reducing the impact on signal processing and energy consumption.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of energy

If a DCDC converter is used as power supply for the signal processor, then power dissipation is reduced and battery life is extended, but the converter introduces ripple and signal characteristics that degrade signal quality

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepower dissipationVSAvoidsignal quality

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of energyVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The pre-processing element modifies the input data before it enters the signal processor to anticipate and compensate for the ripple effects that will occur during processing. By pre-adjusting the data based on predicted ripple characteristics, the system maintains signal quality without needing additional filtering components that would increase power consumption.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The invention converts the harmful ripple effect into a predictable pattern that can be compensated for through digital pre-processing. By characterizing the ripple behavior and using it to adjust the input data accordingly, the previously harmful signal degradation becomes a controllable parameter that can be corrected algorithmically rather than requiring additional hardware filtering.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #22Blessing in disguise (Convert harm into benefit)

2Object-affected harmful factors

If traditional low dropout regulators are used to filter supply voltage ripple, then signal quality is improved, but energy efficiency decreases and battery life is reduced

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesignal qualityVSAvoidenergy efficiency

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The invention replaces the mechanical/electrical filtering approach (low dropout regulators) with a digital signal processing approach (pre-processing element). Instead of using additional hardware components to physically filter out ripple, the system uses digital algorithms to compensate for ripple effects, thereby improving signal quality without the energy overhead of additional regulation hardware.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

3Power

If power amplifier operates at high output power, then communication performance is improved, but power dissipation increases significantly

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveoutput powerVSAvoidpower dissipation

Core Design Contradiction:

PowerVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The pre-processing element uses feedback information about the power amplifier's operating state and the DCDC converter's ripple characteristics to dynamically adjust the pre-processing parameters. This allows the system to optimize the compensation strategy based on actual operating conditions, maintaining high output power communication performance while minimizing the additional processing power required.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentUS9054769B2Pre-processing unit for a signal processor

Publication Date: 2015.06.09 INTEL CORP

AI summary

A pre-processing unit for a signal processor includes a pre-processing element. The pre-processing element is configured to receive data to be processed by the signal processor, to pre-process the receive data and to output the pre-processed data. The data is pre-processed based on a control signal describing an undesired signal characteristic of a supply voltage for the signal processor in order to compensate an influence of the signal characteristic of the supply voltage on the processing of the data.