Sliced Transmitter Front-End for Dynamic Gain and Power Control

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Transmitter front-ends face issues with noise degradation, linearity maintenance at different gain levels, and high power consumption, particularly experiencing LO leakage and limited dynamic range.

Innovation Solution

A sliced transmitter front-end configuration with multiple parallel TX FE slices and a second slice, featuring programmable gain amplifiers and adjustable attenuators, allowing for a superimposed gain range with a high-gain and low-gain section, enabling dynamic gain adjustment and reducing power consumption.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If a transmitter front-end is designed to provide a large dynamic range with high gain, then the dynamic range is improved, but noise degradation increases and linearity cannot be maintained at different gain levels

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedynamic rangeVSAvoidnoise degradation and linearity

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The transmitter front-end is divided into multiple parallel slices, each with its own mixer, local oscillator, and programmable gain amplifier. This segmentation allows different slices to operate at different gain levels simultaneously, enabling the system to maintain linearity and low noise at each individual slice while providing a large overall dynamic range through the combination of all slices.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

2Use of energy by moving object

If a transmitter front-end provides low gain, then power consumption should be reduced, but LO leakage problem increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepower consumptionVSAvoidLO leakage

Core Design Contradiction:

Use of energy by moving objectVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The system dynamically switches between different operational modes by enabling or disabling specific slices based on the required gain level. When low gain is needed, only the low-gain slice is enabled, reducing power consumption. The dynamic switching mechanism ensures that LO leakage is minimized by activating only the necessary slice rather than keeping all slices active.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

3Adaptability or versatility

If multiple parallel TX FE slices are used to create a superimposed gain range, then the gain range is extended, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvegain rangeVSAvoidnumber of slices and components

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

Each TX FE slice is designed with universal components that can function in multiple roles. The programmable gain amplifiers can operate at different gain levels, and the mixers can handle different signal levels. This multi-functionality allows the same slice design to serve both high-gain and low-gain operations, reducing the overall complexity compared to having completely separate high-gain and low-gain circuits.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentUS9065691B2Sliced transmitter front-end

Publication Date: 2015.06.23 MEDIATEK INC

AI summary

An embodiment of the invention provides a sliced transmitter front-end (TX FE). The sliced TX FE includes first TX FE slices and a second TX FE slice that are connected in parallel. As a whole the first TX FE slices contributes a high-gain section to a superimposed gain range of the sliced TX FE. The second TX FE slice has a gain range that constitutes a low-gain section of the superimposed gain range of the sliced TX FE. A minimum gain of the gain range of the second TX FE slice is smaller than a minimum gain of the high-gain section.