Amplifiers – Modulator-demodulator-type amplifier
Reexamination Certificate
2000-09-26
2002-08-20
Pascal, Robert (Department: 2817)
Amplifiers
Modulator-demodulator-type amplifier
C330S127000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06437641
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to the field of power amplifiers. More particularly, the invention relates to a method and apparatus for improving the efficiency of power amplifiers operating under large peak-to-average ratios, while eliminating the need for clipping signals having large peak amplitudes.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Modern communication systems, such as cellular systems employ power amplifiers in their basestations, in order to communicate with subscribers that are distributed in cells. These power amplifiers that are required to amplify Radio Frequency (RF) signals, such as signals used in communication systems that are required to transmit multiple signals, simultaneously. Multiple signals should be transmitted, for example, due to multiple users sharing the same frequency band, such as cellular systems that are operated in Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) regimes. Another communication method that requires simultaneous transmissions employ, for example, a modulation format known as “multi-tone”, or Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM), in which the signal from a single user is first subdivided. Each subdivision is then modulated by a multiplicity of staggered subcarriers. The modulated subcarriers are then added up, thus causing large peak excursions.
Conventional RF amplifiers required to simultaneously amplify RF signals that have large peak-to-average ratios, are costly and relatively inefficient (consuming much DC power). The reason for such inefficiency is that a power amplifier becomes efficient only during the occurrence of the peaks, i.e., when the instantaneous power output is large. However, during most of the time, the power output is only a small fraction of the power drain from the Direct Current (DC) power supply, resulting in low efficiency.
In order to reduce the average power loss, communication system designers use conventional techniques for reducing the peak to average ratio, based on clipping of the signal peaks. “Keeping noise mitigation for ODFM by decision-aided reconstruction” to Kim et al, IEEE Communications Letters, Vol. 3, No. 1, January 1999 and “Design considerations for multicarrier CDMA base station power amplifiers”, to J. S. Kenney et al, Microwave Journal, February 1999, describe such techniques, which treat OFDM and multicarrier communications. It is also explained there that clipping considerably increases the undesired error rate of the system, and in some cases cause a partial spectral re-growth. Considerable effort is directed to mitigate the increase in the error rate while increasing the amount of clipping.
“Considerations on applying OFDM in a highly efficient power amplifier” to W. Liu et al, IEEE transactions on circuits and systems, Vol. 46, No. 11, November 1999, relates to the classical Envelope Elimination and Reconstruction (EER) for OFDM. “Device and circuit approaches for next-generation wireless communications” to P. Asbeck et al, Microwave Journal, February 1999, discloses similar features EER for OFDM, with sundry modifications for multicarrier transmission. However, all the above references depend on continuously varying power supplies for the envelope reconstruction or emphasis, which is difficult to achieve at large bandwidths and large peak to average ratios. Furthermore, EER techniques are mostly used for low-frequency modulation.
All the methods described above have not yet provided satisfactory solutions to the problem of improving the efficiency of power amplifiers operated under large peak-to-average ratios, while eliminating the need for clipping signals having large peak amplitudes.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for improving the efficiency of power amplifiers operated under large peak-to-average ratios, while eliminating the need for clipping signals.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for improving the efficiency of power amplifiers operated under large peak-to-average ratios, while eliminating spectral re-growth of unwanted sidebands.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for expanding the dynamic range of power amplifiers operated under large peak-to-average ratios.
Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the description proceeds.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to a method for improving the efficiency and the dynamic range of a power amplifier operated with signals having a large peak-to-average ratio. A reference level is determined, above which at least a portion of the magnitude of an input signal being a modulated signal that is input to the power amplifier, or a baseband waveform that is used to generate the modulated signal, is defined as an excess input signal. The magnitude of the input signal is continuously sampled, for detecting an excess input signal. A lower level of operating voltage is supplied to the power amplifier, if no excess input signal is detected. The lower level of operating voltage is sufficient to effectively amplify input signals having a magnitude below the reference level. A higher level of operating voltage is supplied to the power amplifier, whenever an excess input signal is detected. The higher level of operating voltage is sufficient to effectively amplify input signals having a magnitude above the reference level.
Preferably, an automatic gain control circuit is coupled to the input of the power amplifier, in order to control the magnitude of the input signal(s) prior to amplification. Whenever an excess input signal is detected, the excess input signal is sampled. Changes in the gain of the power amplifier during the presence of the excess input signal are compensated by controlling the gain of the automatic gain control circuit, according to the samples of the excess input signal.
The level of operating voltage is supplied to the power amplifier by a lower voltage source for feeding the power amplifier whenever no excess input signal is detected and a higher voltage source for feeding the power amplifier whenever an excess input signal is detected. The voltage supply contact of the power amplifier is connected to the lower voltage source through a first variable impedance, and may be connected to the higher voltage source through a second variable impedance. Whenever no excess input signal is detected, the first and the second variable impedances may be simultaneously controlled to be in an appropriate low, and highest impedance states, respectively. Whenever an excess input signal is detected, the first and the second variable impedances may be simultaneously controlled to be in their highest and an appropriate low impedance states, respectively.
Preferably, the level of operating voltage is supplied to the power amplifier by using another voltage source for feeding the power amplifier whenever an excess input signal is detected. The voltage supply contact of the power amplifier is connected to the first voltage source through a variable impedance, and to the another voltage source through a voltage amplifier. The variable impedance can present a low resistannce to DC and high impedance for rapidly varying pulses. The variable impedance is allowed to reach an appropriate low resistance whenever no excess input signal is detected, and its high impedance whenever an excess input signal is detected. The voltage amplifier is allowed to supply a voltage level that is higher than the voltage of the first voltage source, to the voltage supply contact of the power amplifier, whenever an excess input signal is detected. At least one of the variable impedances may be an inductor or a diode, or a controllable impedance, such as a bipolar transistor or a FET.
Preferably, levels of operating voltage, supplied to the power amplifier, are normalized to corresponding predetermined levels of the excess input signal. The level of operating voltage supplied to the power amplifier sampled and an error signal is generated by comparing betwe
Nguyen Khanh Van
Paragon Communications Ltd.
Pascal Robert
LandOfFree
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