Compensation circuit of power amplifier and associated compensation method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9960947-B2
Application number	US-201715647275-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 12, 2017
Priority date	Sep 6, 2016
Publication date	May 1, 2018
Grant date	May 1, 2018

Abstract

A compensation circuit of a power amplifier includes a varactor, a voltage sensor and a control circuit. The varactor is coupled to an input terminal of the power amplifier. The voltage sensor is arranged for detecting an amplitude of an input signal of the power amplifier to generate a detecting result. The control circuit is coupled to the varactor and the voltage sensor, and is arranged for controlling a bias voltage of the varactor to adjust a capacitance of the varactor according to the detecting result.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A compensation circuit of an amplifier, comprising:
a first varactor, coupled to a first input terminal of the amplifier;
a second varactor, coupled to a second input terminal of the amplifier;
a voltage sensor, for detecting an amplitude of an input signal of the amplifier to generate a detecting result; and
a control circuit, coupled to the first varactor, the second varactor and the voltage sensor, for controlling a bias voltage of the first varactor to adjust a capacitance of the first varactor according to the detecting result, and controlling a bias voltage of the second varactor to adjust a capacitance of the second varactor according to the detecting result.

2. The compensation circuit of claim 1 , wherein one terminal of the first varactor is connected to the first input terminal of the amplifier, and another terminal of the first varactor is used to receive the bias voltage provided by the control circuit.

3. The compensation circuit of claim 1 , wherein when the amplitude of the input signal increases, the control circuit controls the bias voltage of the first varactor to increase the capacitance of the first varactor.

4. The compensation circuit of claim 1 , wherein when the amplitude of the input signal decreases, the control circuit controls the bias voltage of the first varactor to decrease the capacitance of the first varactor.

5. The compensation circuit of claim 1 , wherein one terminal of the first varactor is connected to the first input terminal of the amplifier, one terminal of the second varactor is connected to the second input terminal of the amplifier, and another terminal of the first varactor and another terminal of the second varactor are used to receive the bias voltage provided by the control circuit.

6. The compensation circuit of claim 5 , wherein the control circuit comprises:
a switch, for connecting or disconnecting the other terminal of the first varactor to the other terminal of the second varactor.

7. The compensation circuit of claim 6 , wherein the control circuit determines to turn on or off the switch according to the detecting result, and when the switch is on, the control circuit applies the bias voltage to the other terminal of the first varactor and the other terminal of the second varactor; and when the switch is off, the control circuit does not provide any bias voltage to the other terminals of the first varactor and the second varactor.

8. The compensation circuit of claim 1 , wherein a transformer is arranged to provide the input signal to the input terminal of the amplifier, and the compensation circuit further comprises:
another voltage sensor, for detecting the amplitude of an input signal of the amplifier to generate another detecting result; and
another control circuit, coupled to the other voltage sensor, for controlling a voltage level of a center tap of the transformer according to the other detecting result.

9. A circuit, comprising:
a power amplifier; and
a compensation circuit comprising:
a first varactor, coupled to a first input terminal of the power amplifier;
a second varactor, coupled to a second input terminal of the power amplifier;
a voltage sensor, for detecting an amplitude of an input signal of the power amplifier to generate a detecting result; and
a control circuit, coupled to the first varactor, the second varactor and the voltage sensor, for controlling a bias voltage of the first varactor to adjust a capacitance of the first varactor according to the detecting result, and controlling a bias voltage of the second varactor to adjust a capacitance of the second varactor according to the detecting result.

10. The circuit of claim 9 , wherein one terminal of the first varactor is connected to the first input terminal of the power amplifier, and another terminal of the first varactor is used to receive the bias voltage provided by the control circuit.

11. The circuit of claim 9 , wherein when the amplitude of the input signal increases, the control circuit controls the bias voltage of the first varactor to increase the capacitance of the first varactor.

12. The circuit of claim 9 , wherein when the amplitude of the input signal decreases, the control circuit controls the bias voltage of the first varactor to decrease the capacitance of the first varactor.

13. The circuit of claim 9 , wherein one terminal of the first varactor is connected to the first input terminal of the power amplifier, one terminal of the second varactor is connected to the second input terminal of the power amplifier, and another terminal of the first varactor and another terminal of the second varactor are used to receive the bias voltage provided by the control circuit.

14. The circuit of claim 13 , wherein the control circuit comprises:
a switch, for connecting or disconnecting the other terminal of the first varactor to the other terminal of the second varactor.

15. The circuit of claim 14 , wherein the control circuit determines to turn on or off the switch according to the detecting result, and when the switch is on, the control circuit applies the bias voltage to the other terminal of the first varactor and the other terminal of the second varactor; and when the switch is off, the control circuit does not provide any bias voltage to the other terminals of the first varactor and the second varactor.

16. The circuit of claim 9 , wherein a transformer is arranged to provide the input signal to the input terminal of the power amplifier, and the compensation circuit further comprises:
another voltage sensor, for detecting the amplitude of an input signal of the power amplifier to generate another detecting result; and
another control circuit, coupled to the other voltage sensor, for controlling a voltage level of a center tap of the transformer according to the other detecting result.

17. A compensation circuit of an amplifier, comprising:
a first varactor, coupled to a first input terminal of the amplifier;
a voltage sensor, for detecting an amplitude of an input signal of the amplifier to generate a detecting result; and
a control circuit, coupled to the first varactor and the voltage sensor, for controlling a bias voltage of the first varactor to adjust a capacitance of the first varactor according to the detecting result;
wherein a transformer is arranged to provide the input signal to the input terminal of the amplifier, and the compensation circuit further comprises:
another voltage sensor, for detecting the amplitude of an input signal of the amplifier to generate another detecting result; and
another control circuit, coupled to the other voltage sensor, for controlling a voltage level of a center tap of the transformer according to the other detecting result.

18. The compensation circuit of claim 17 , wherein one terminal of the first varactor is connected to the first input terminal of the amplifier, and another terminal of the first varactor is used to receive the bias voltage provided by the control circuit.

19. The compensation circuit of claim 17 , wherein when the amplitude of the input signal increases, the control circuit controls the bias voltage of the first varactor to increase the capacitance of the first varactor.

20. The compensation circuit of claim 17 , further comprising:
a second varactor, coupled to a second input terminal of the amplifier;
wherein the control circuit further controls a bias voltage of the second varactor to adjust a capacitance of the second varactor according to the detecting r

Assignees

• Mediatek Inc

Inventors

• Lin Chien-Cheng
• Tsai Ming-Da

Classifications

• H04L27/366 Primary

  Arrangements for compensating undesirable properties of the transmission path between the modulator and the demodulator · CPC title

• H04B2001/0408

  with power amplifiers · CPC title

• H03C3/08

  Modifications of modulator to linearise modulation, e.g. by feedback, and clearly applicable to more than one type of modulator · CPC title

• H03F1/3264

  in audio amplifiers · CPC title

• H03D7/166

  using two or more quadrature frequency translation stages · CPC title