Power detector

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016334444-A1
Application number	US-201514963921-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 9, 2015
Priority date	May 13, 2015
Publication date	Nov 17, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

Some embodiments relate to power detector including a voltage sensor configured to detect a voltage of a load and a current sensor configured to detect a current of the load. The power detector also includes circuitry configured to introduce a phase delay between the detected voltage of the load and the detected current of the load, thereby producing a voltage measurement and a current measurement. The circuitry is also configured to multiply the voltage measurement and the current measurement.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A power detector, comprising:
a voltage sensor configured to detect a voltage of a load; a current sensor configured to detect a current of the load; and circuitry configured to:
introduce a phase delay between the detected voltage of the load and the detected current of the load, thereby producing a voltage measurement and a current measurement; and
multiply the voltage measurement and the current measurement.

2 . The power detector of claim 1 , wherein the voltage sensor comprises a conductor or a circuit element.

3 . The power detector of claim 2 , wherein the voltage sensor comprises a conductor, and the conductor comprises at least one of a bondwire, a coupled line, a via and a solder ball.

4 . The power detector of claim 1 , wherein the current sensor comprises a conductor or a circuit element.

5 . The power detector of claim 4 , wherein the current sensor comprises a conductor, and the conductor comprises at least one of a bondwire, a coupled line, a via and a solder ball.

6 . The power detector of claim 4 , wherein the current sensor comprises a conductor positioned to inductively sense the current of the load.

7 . The power detector of claim 1 , wherein the phase delay is tunable.

8 . The power detector of claim 7 , wherein the phase delay is calibrated to account for processing variations, variations in temperature and/or variations in frequency.

9 . The power detector of claim 1 , further comprising a low pass filter and/or averaging unit to filter and/or average a product of the current measurement and the voltage measurement.

10 . The power detector of claim 1 , implemented in a quad flat-lead package or chip scale package.

11 . The power detector of claim 1 , wherein the load is driven by an amplifier.

12 . The power detector of claim 11 , wherein the amplifier comprises a switching amplifier.

13 . The power detector of claim 11 , wherein the amplifier comprises a plurality of amplifier circuits that combine their outputs to drive the load.

14 . The power detector of claim 1 , wherein the load comprises an antenna.

15 . The power detector of claim 1 , wherein the voltage and current of the load have a frequency of higher than 0 Hz.

16 . The power detector of claim 1 , further comprising a circuit element to resonate with a parasitic inductance or capacitance at a frequency of operation of the load.

17 . The power detector of claim 16 , wherein the circuit element comprises an inductive element that resonates with a parasitic capacitance, the parasitic capacitance being in parallel with the load.

18 . The power detector of claim 16 , wherein the circuit element comprises a capacitive element that resonates with a parasitic inductance, the parasitic inductance being in series with the load.

19 . The power detector of claim 1 , wherein the phase delay is introduced in at least one of a voltage sensing path and a current sensing path.

20 . The power detector of claim 19 , wherein the phase delay is introduced in at least one of the voltage sensor, the current sensor, a phase delay unit in a current path, a phase delay unit in a voltage path, and a phase delay element in a multiplier circuit.

21 . The power detector of claim 1 , wherein the voltage sensor is a differential voltage sensor and/or the current sensor is a differential current sensor.

22 . The power detector of claim 1 , wherein the phase delay is introduced in at least one of the current sensor, the voltage sensor, a phase delay unit, and a multiplier.

23 . The power detector of claim 1 , further comprising circuitry configured to amplify and/or attenuate the detected voltage of the load and/or the detected current of the load.

24 . The power detector of claim 1 , further wherein the circuitry is configured to amplify and/or attenuate the detected voltage of the load and/or the detected current of the load by a tunable gain.

25 . A power detection method, comprising,
detecting a voltage of a load; detecting a current of the load; introducing a phase delay between the detected voltage of the load and the detected current of the load, thereby producing a voltage measurement and a current measurement; and multiplying the voltage measurement and the current measurement.

26 . The power detection method of claim 25 , further comprising calibrating the phase delay.

27 . The power detection method of claim 25 , wherein the current of the load is detected inductively.

28 . The power detection method of claim 25 , further comprising low-pass filtering a product of the voltage measurement and the current measurement.

Assignees

• Mediatek Inc

Inventors

• Chen Meng-Hung
• Shana'A Osama K A
• Chee Yuenhui
• Lu Chiyuan

Classifications

• G01R21/06 Primary

  by measuring current and voltage (G01R21/08 - G01R21/133 take precedence) · CPC title

• G01R21/07 Primary

  in circuits having distributed constants (G01R21/09 takes precedence) · CPC title