Dual instantaneous envelope tracking

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9479118-B2
Application number	US-201414254215-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 16, 2014
Priority date	Apr 16, 2013
Publication date	Oct 25, 2016
Grant date	Oct 25, 2016

Abstract

Power supply circuitry, which includes a parallel amplifier and a parallel amplifier power supply, is disclosed. The power supply circuitry operates in either an average power tracking mode or an envelope tracking mode. The parallel amplifier power supply provides a parallel amplifier power supply signal. The parallel amplifier regulates an envelope power supply voltage based on an envelope power supply control signal using the parallel amplifier power supply signal, which provides power for amplification. During the envelope tracking mode, the envelope power supply voltage at least partially tracks an envelope of an RF transmit signal and the parallel amplifier power supply signal at least partially tracks the envelope power supply control signal. During the average power tracking mode, the envelope power supply voltage does not track the envelope of the RF transmit signal.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. Power supply circuitry configured to operate in one of an average power tracking mode and an envelope tracking mode, and comprising:
a parallel amplifier power supply configured to provide a parallel amplifier power supply signal; and
a parallel amplifier having a parallel amplifier output and configured to regulate an envelope power supply voltage based on an envelope power supply control signal using the parallel amplifier power supply signal, which provides power for amplification, wherein:
the parallel amplifier output is coupled to an envelope tracking power supply output via an offset capacitive element;
during the envelope tracking mode, the envelope power supply voltage at least partially tracks an envelope of an RF transmit signal and the parallel amplifier power supply signal at least partially tracks the envelope power supply control signal; and
during the average power tracking mode, the envelope power supply voltage does not track the envelope of the RF transmit signal.

2. The power supply circuitry of claim 1 wherein during the average power tracking mode and during a communications slot, the parallel amplifier power supply signal is configured to be about constant.

3. Power supply circuitry configured to operate in one of an average power tracking mode and an envelope tracking mode, and comprising:
a parallel amplifier power supply configured to provide a parallel amplifier power supply signal; and
a parallel amplifier having a parallel amplifier output and configured to regulate an envelope power supply voltage based on an envelope power supply control signal using the parallel amplifier power supply signal, which provides power for amplification, wherein:
during the envelope tracking mode, the envelope power supply voltage at least partially tracks an envelope of an RF transmit signal and the parallel amplifier power supply signal at least partially tracks the envelope power supply control signal; and
during the average power tracking mode, the envelope power supply voltage does not track the envelope of the RF transmit signal and the parallel amplifier power supply signal is configured to be adjustable on a communications slot-to-communications slot basis.

4. Power supply circuitry configured to operate in one of an average power tracking mode and an envelope tracking mode, and comprising:
a parallel amplifier power supply configured to provide a parallel amplifier power supply signal; and
a parallel amplifier having a parallel amplifier output and configured to regulate an envelope power supply voltage based on an envelope power supply control signal using the parallel amplifier power supply signal, which provides power for amplification, wherein:
during the envelope tracking mode, the envelope power supply voltage at least partially tracks an envelope of an RF transmit signal; the parallel amplifier power supply signal at least partially tracks the envelope power supply control signal; and when a bandwidth of the envelope power supply control signal is greater than a bandwidth threshold, the parallel amplifier power supply has a first LC time constant, and when the bandwidth of the envelope power supply control signal is less than the bandwidth threshold, the parallel amplifier power supply has a second LC time constant, which is longer than the first LC time constant; and
during the average power tracking mode, the envelope power supply voltage does not track the envelope of the RF transmit signal.

5. The power supply circuitry of claim 1 wherein during the envelope tracking mode, a maximum bandwidth of the envelope power supply control signal is greater than about 25 megahertz.

6. The power supply circuitry of claim 1 wherein during the envelope tracking mode, a maximum bandwidth of the envelope power supply control signal is greater than about 15 megahertz.

7. The power supply circuitry of claim 1 wherein during the envelope tracking mode, the parallel amplifier power supply signal is configured to be modulated and a bandwidth of the parallel amplifier power supply signal is configured to be less than a bandwidth of the envelope power supply control signal.

8. The power supply circuitry of claim 7 wherein during the envelope tracking mode, the parallel amplifier is further configured to provide a parallel amplifier output signal based on the envelope power supply control signal, and the parallel amplifier power supply signal has a parallel amplifier power supply voltage, which is high enough to prevent clipping of the parallel amplifier output signal.

9. The power supply circuitry of claim 7 wherein during the envelope tracking mode, the parallel amplifier is further configured to provide a parallel amplifier output signal based on the envelope power supply control signal, and the parallel amplifier output signal is based on a delay of the envelope power supply control signal.

10. The power supply circuitry of claim 7 wherein during the envelope tracking mode, the parallel amplifier power supply signal is based on low pass filtering the envelope power supply control signal.

11. The power supply circuitry of claim 7 wherein during the envelope tracking mode, when a slope of the envelope power supply control signal transitions from a positive slope to a negative slope, a magnitude of the parallel amplifier power supply signal is held about constant for a signal peak hold time.

12. The power supply circuitry of claim 11 wherein the signal peak hold time is programmable.

13. The power supply circuitry of claim 7 wherein during the envelope tracking mode, when a slope of the envelope power supply control signal transitions from a negative slope to a positive slope, a magnitude of the parallel amplifier power supply signal is held about constant for a signal valley hold time.

14. The power supply circuitry of claim 13 wherein the signal valley hold time is programmable.

15. The power supply circuitry of claim 1 wherein during at least one communications slot, an average DC current through the offset capacitive element is equal to about zero.

16. The power supply circuitry of claim 1 further comprising switching circuitry having a switching circuitry output, wherein:
the switching circuitry output is coupled to the envelope tracking power supply output via a first inductive element;
an envelope tracking power supply has the envelope tracking power supply output and comprises the parallel amplifier, the parallel amplifier power supply, the switching circuitry, the first inductive element, and the offset capacitive element; and
the envelope tracking power supply is configured to provide the envelope power supply voltage to an RF power amplifier via the envelope tracking power supply output, such that during the envelope tracking mode, the envelope power supply voltage provides power for amplification to the RF power amplifier.

17. The power supply circuitry of claim 16 wherein during the average power tracking mode and during a communications slot, the envelope power supply voltage is about constant.

18. The power supply circuitry of claim 1 wherein the parallel amplifier power supply is further configured to receive a DC source signal from a DC power source, such that the parallel amplifier power supply signal is based on the DC source signal.

19. The power supply circuitry of claim 18 wherein the DC power source is a battery.

20. The power supply circuitry of claim 1 wherein the parallel amplifier power supply comprises a two flying capacitor-based cha

Assignees

• Rf Micro Devices Inc

Inventors

• Khlat Nadim
• Scott Baker
• Kay Michael R

Classifications

• H03F2200/555

  A voltage generating circuit being realised for biasing different circuit elements · CPC title

• H03F1/0266

  by using a signal derived from the input signal · CPC title

• H03F3/195

  in integrated circuits · CPC title

• H03F3/245

  with semiconductor devices only · CPC title

• H03F2200/432

  Two or more amplifiers of different type are coupled in parallel at the input or output, e.g. a class D and a linear amplifier, a class B and a class A amplifier · CPC title