Patent Abstract:
A supply voltage controlled power amplifier that comprises a power amplifier, a closed power control feedback loop configured to generate a power control signal, and a dual voltage regulator coupled to the power control feedback loop, the dual voltage regulator comprising a first regulator stage and a second regulator stage, wherein the closed power control loop minimizes noise generated by the first regulator stage.

Full Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   This invention relates generally to power amplifier control. More particularly, the invention relates to a dual voltage regulator for a supply voltage controlled power amplifier in a closed power control loop. 
   2. Related Art 
   With the increasing availability of efficient, low cost electronic modules, portable communication devices are becoming more and more widespread. A portable communication device includes one or more power amplifiers for amplifying the power of the signal to be transmitted from the portable communication device. 
   With the decreasing size of portable communication devices, power efficiency is one of the most important design criteria. Reducing power consumption prolongs power source life and extends stand-by and talk time of the portable communication device. In a portable communication device that uses a non-constant amplitude output (i.e., one that modulates and amplifies both a phase component and an amplitude component), a linear power amplifier is typically used. The efficiency of the power amplifier decreases rapidly as the transmission output power decreases from a maximum level. This results in a paradox. To reduce power consumption, the power output of the power amplifier is reduced when conditions permit. Unfortunately, power amplifier efficiency rapidly decreases as the power output is reduced, thus leading to increased power consumption, and reduced power source life. 
   One type of power amplifier is referred to as a “supply voltage controlled” power amplifier. This power amplifier methodology varies the power output of the power amplifier by controlling the supply voltage to the power amplifier. The output power of a supply voltage controlled power amplifier (PA) is determined by a regulated voltage applied to the collector terminal of a bi-polar junction transistor (or drain terminal, if implemented as a field effect transistor (FET)) of one or more stages of the power amplifier. If implemented using bi-polar technology, this power amplifier is also referred to as a collector voltage amplifier control (COVAC) power amplifier. 
   To improve the efficiency of a supply voltage controlled power amplifier operating at a low power output level, a switching voltage regulator can be implemented to provide the supply voltage to the power amplifier. Unfortunately, a switching voltage regulator can inject noise and spurious components onto the transmit signal. The control bandwidth of a switching voltage regulator must also be capable of operating over the bandwidth of the transmit signal. 
   Therefore, it would be desirable to control the voltage applied to a supply control port of a power amplifier to minimize noise, spurious signal generation and switching transients, thereby minimizing spectral regrowth. 
   SUMMARY 
   Embodiments of the invention include a supply voltage controlled power amplifier, comprising a power amplifier, a closed power control feedback loop configured to generate a power control signal, and a dual voltage regulator coupled to the power control feedback loop, the dual voltage regulator comprising a first regulator stage and a second regulator stage, wherein the closed power control loop minimizes noise generated by the first regulator stage. 
   Related methods of operation are also provided. Other systems, methods, features, and advantages of the invention will be or become apparent to one with skill in the art upon examination of the following figures and detailed description. It is intended that all such additional systems, methods, features, and advantages be included within this description, be within the scope of the invention, and be protected by the accompanying claims. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES 
     The invention can be better understood with reference to the following figures. The components within the figures are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the invention. Moreover, in the figures, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the different views. 
       FIG. 1  is a block diagram illustrating a simplified portable transceiver including a power amplifier control element according to one embodiment of the invention. 
       FIG. 2  is a block diagram illustrating the upconverter, power amplifier control element and the supply control element of  FIG. 1 . 
       FIG. 3  is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment of the supply control element of  FIG. 2 . 
       FIG. 4  is a diagrammatic view illustrating an exemplary transmit envelope  400  illustrating the operation of the dual voltage regulator. 
       FIG. 5  is a flow chart illustrating the operation of an embodiment of the power amplifier control element. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
   Although described with particular reference to a portable transceiver, the power amplifier control element can be implemented in any communication device employing a closed feedback power control loop and a supply voltage controlled power amplifier. 
   The power amplifier control element can be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software. When implemented in hardware, the power amplifier control element can be implemented using specialized hardware elements and logic. When the power amplifier control element is implemented partially in software, the software portion can be used to control components in the power amplifier control element so that various operating aspects can be software-controlled. The software can be stored in a memory and executed by a suitable instruction execution system (microprocessor). The hardware implementation of the power amplifier control element can include any or a combination of the following technologies, which are all well known in the art: discrete electronic components, a discrete logic circuit(s) having logic gates for implementing logic functions upon data signals, an application specific integrated circuit having appropriate logic gates, a programmable gate array(s) (PGA), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), etc. 
   The software for the power amplifier control element comprises an ordered listing of executable instructions for implementing logical functions, and can be embodied in any computer-readable medium for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device, such as a computer-based system, processor-containing system, or other system that can fetch the instructions from the instruction execution system, apparatus, or device and execute the instructions. 
   In the context of this document, a “computer-readable medium” can be any means that can contain, store, communicate, propagate, or transport the program for use by or in connection with the instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. The computer readable medium can be, for example but not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, device, or propagation medium. More specific examples (a non-exhaustive list) of the computer-readable medium would include the following: an electrical connection (electronic) having one or more wires, a portable computer diskette (magnetic), a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory) (magnetic), an optical fiber (optical), and a portable compact disc read-only memory (CDROM) (optical). Note that the computer-readable medium could even be paper or another suitable medium upon which the program is printed, as the program can be electronically captured, via for instance optical scanning of the paper or other medium, then compiled, interpreted or otherwise processed in a suitable manner if necessary, and then stored in a computer memory. 
     FIG. 1  is a block diagram illustrating a simplified portable transceiver  100  including an embodiment of a power amplifier control element having a supply control element. The portable transceiver  100  includes speaker  102 , display  104 , keyboard  106 , and microphone  108 , all connected to baseband subsystem  110 . A power source  142 , which may be a direct current (DC) battery or other power source, is also connected to the baseband subsystem  110  via connection  144  to provide power to the portable transceiver  100 . In a particular embodiment, portable transceiver  100  can be, for example but not limited to, a portable telecommunication device such as a mobile cellular-type telephone. Speaker  102  and display  104  receive signals from baseband subsystem  110  via connections  112  and  114 , respectively, as known to those skilled in the art. Similarly, keyboard  106  and microphone  108  supply signals to baseband subsystem  110  via connections  116  and  118 , respectively. Baseband subsystem  110  includes microprocessor (μP)  120 , memory  122 , analog circuitry  124 , and digital signal processor (DSP)  126  in communication via bus  128 . Bus  128 , although shown as a single bus, may be implemented using multiple busses connected as necessary among the subsystems within baseband subsystem  110 . 
   Depending on the manner in which the power amplifier control element is implemented, the baseband subsystem  110  may also include an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC)  135  and a field programmable gate array (FPGA)  133 . 
   Microprocessor  120  and memory  122  provide the signal timing, processing and storage functions for portable transceiver  100 . Analog circuitry  124  provides the analog processing functions for the signals within baseband subsystem  110 . Baseband subsystem  110  provides control signals to transmitter  150 , receiver  170  power amplifier  180  and the power amplifier control element  285  such as through connection  132  for example. 
   The baseband subsystem  110  generates a power control signal, referred to as V APC  which is supplied to the power amplifier control element  285  via connection  146 . The signal V APC  is generated by the baseband subsystem  110  and is generally converted to an analog control signal by one of the digital-to-analog converters (DACs)  136  or  138  to be described below. The power control signal V APC  is illustrated as being supplied from the bus  128  to indicate that the signal may be generated in different ways as known to those skilled in the art. Generally, the power control signal, V APC , controls the power amplifier as a function of the peak voltage of the power amplifier determined during calibration, and corresponds to power amplifier output power. 
   The control signals on connections  132  and  146  may originate from the DSP  126 , the ASIC  135 , the FPGA  133 , or from microprocessor  120 , and are supplied to a variety of connections within the transmitter  150 , receiver  170 , power amplifier  180 , and the power amplifier control element  285 . It should be noted that, for simplicity, only the basic components of the portable transceiver  100  are illustrated herein. The control signals provided by the baseband subsystem  110  control the various components within the portable transceiver  100 . Further, the function of the transmitter  150  and the receiver  170  may be integrated into a transceiver. 
   If portions of the power amplifier control element  285  are implemented in software that is executed by the microprocessor  120 , the memory  122  will also include power amplifier control software  255 . The power amplifier control software  255  comprises one or more executable code segments that can be stored in the memory and executed in the microprocessor  120 . Alternatively, the functionality of the power amplifier control software  255  can be coded into the ASIC  135  or can be executed by the FPGA  133 , or another device. Because the memory  122  can be rewritable and because the FPGA  133  is reprogrammable, updates to the power amplifier control software  255  can be remotely sent to and saved in the portable transceiver  100  when implemented using either of these methodologies. 
   Baseband subsystem  110  also includes analog-to-digital converter (ADC)  134  and digital-to-analog converters (DACs)  136  and  138 . Although DACs  136  and  138  are illustrated as two separate devices, it is understood that a single digital-to-analog converter may be used that performs the function of DACs  136  and  138 . ADC  134 , DAC  136  and DAC  138  also communicate with microprocessor  120 , memory  122 , analog circuitry  124  and DSP  126  via bus  128 . DAC  136  converts the digital communication information within baseband subsystem  110  into an analog signal for transmission to a modulator  152  via connection  140 . Connection  140 , while shown as two directed arrows, includes the information that is to be transmitted by the transmitter  150  after conversion from the digital domain to the analog domain. 
   The transmitter  150  includes modulator  152 , which modulates the analog information on connection  140  and provides a modulated signal via connection  158  to upconverter  154 . The upconverter  154  transforms the modulated signal on connection  158  to an appropriate transmit frequency and provides the upconverted signal to a power amplifier  180  via connection  184 . The power amplifier  180  amplifies the signal to an appropriate power level for the system in which the portable transceiver  100  is designed to operate. 
   Details of the modulator  152  and the upconverter  154  have been omitted, as they will be understood by those skilled in the art. For example, the data on connection  140  is generally formatted by the baseband subsystem  110  into in-phase (I) and quadrature (Q) components. The I and Q components may take different forms and be formatted differently depending upon the communication standard being employed. For example, when the power amplifier module is used in a constant-amplitude, phase (or frequency) modulation application such as the global system for mobile communications (GSM), the phase modulated information is provided by the modulator  152 . When the power amplifier module is used in an application requiring both phase and amplitude modulation such as, for example, extended data rates for GSM evolution, referred to as EDGE, the Cartesian in-phase (I) and quadrature (Q) components of the transmit signal are converted to their polar counterparts, amplitude and phase. The phase modulation is performed by the modulator  152 , while the amplitude modulation is performed by the power amplifier control element  285 , where the amplitude envelope is defined by a power control voltage V PC , which is generated by the power amplifier control element  285 . The instantaneous power level of the power amplifier module  180  tracks V PC , thus generating a transmit signal with both phase and amplitude components. This technique, known as polar modulation, eliminates the need for linear amplification by the power amplifier module, allowing the use of a more efficient saturated mode of operation while providing both phase and amplitude modulation. 
   The power amplifier  180  supplies the amplified signal via connection  156  to a front end module  162 . The front end module comprises an antenna system interface that may include, for example, a diplexer having a filter pair that allows simultaneous passage of both transmit signals and receive signals, as known to those having ordinary skill in the art. The transmit signal is supplied from the front end module  162  to the antenna  160 . 
   Using the power control signal, V PC , generated by the power amplifier control element  285 , the power amplifier control element  285  determines the appropriate power level at which the power amplifier  180  operates to amplify the transmit signal. The power control signal, V PC , is also used to provide envelope, or amplitude, modulation when required by the modulation standard. The power amplifier control element  285  also includes a supply control element  300  to be described below. The power amplifier control element  285  provides a regulated supply voltage (referred to as V CC ) to the power amplifier  180  via connection  250 , which determines the output of the power amplifier by controlling the supply voltage delivered to the power amplifier  180 . The power amplifier control element  285  and the supply control element  300  will be described in greater detail below. 
   A signal received by antenna  160  will be directed from the front end module  162  to the receiver  170 . The receiver  170  includes a downconverter  172 , a filter  182 , and a demodulator  178 . If implemented using a direct conversion receiver (DCR), the downconverter  172  converts the received signal from an RF level to a baseband level (DC). Alternatively, the received RF signal may be downconverted to an intermediate frequency (IF) signal, depending on the application. The downconverted signal is sent to the filter  182  via connection  174 . The filter comprises a least one filter stage to filter the received downconverted signal as known in the art. 
   The filtered signal is sent from the filter  182  via connection  176  to the demodulator  178 . The demodulator  178  recovers the transmitted analog information and supplies a signal representing this information via connection  186  to ADC  134 . ADC  134  converts these analog signals to a digital signal at baseband frequency and transfers the signal via bus  128  to DSP  126  for further processing. 
     FIG. 2  is a block diagram illustrating the upconverter  154 , power amplifier control element  285  and the supply control element  300  of  FIG. 1 . Beginning with a description of the power amplifier control element  285 , which forms a closed power control loop  265 , or an “AM control loop,” a portion of the output power present at the output of power amplifier  180  on connection  156  is diverted by coupler  222  via connection  157  and input to a mixer  226 . The mixer  226  also receives a local oscillator (LO) signal from a synthesizer  148  via connection  198 . 
   The mixer  226  downconverts the RF signal on connection  157  to an intermediate frequency (IF) signal on connection  228 . For example, the mixer  226  takes a signal having a frequency of approximately 2 gigahertz (GHz) on connection  157  and down converts it to a frequency of approximately 100 megahertz (MHz) on connection  228  for input to variable gain element  232 . The variable gain element  232  can be, for example but not limited to, a variable gain amplifier or an attenuator. In such an arrangement, the variable gain element  232  might have a dynamic range of approximately 70 decibels (dB) i.e., +35 dB/−35 dB. The variable gain element  232  receives a control signal input from the non-inverting output of an amplifier  236  via connection  234 . The input to amplifier  236  is supplied via connection  146  from the baseband subsystem  110  of  FIG. 1 . The signal on connection  146  is the power control signal, V APC  which is a reference voltage signal that defines the transmit power level and provides the power profile. This signal on connection  146  is supplied to a reconstruction filter, which includes resistor  240  and capacitor  242 . In this manner, a reference voltage for the transmit power level and power profile is supplied via connection  234  to the control input of the variable gain element  232 . 
   The output of the variable gain element  232  on connection  246  is an IF signal and includes modulation having both an AM component and a PM component and is called a “power measurement signal.” This power measurement signal is related to the absolute output power of power amplifier  180 , and includes a very small error related to the AM and PM components present in the signal. The output of variable gain element  232  on connection  246  is supplied to the input of power detector  262  and is also supplied to a limiter  248 . The IF signal on connection  246  includes both an AM component and a PM component. The signal on connection  246  is supplied to a power detector  262 , which provides, on connection  264 , a baseband signal representing the instantaneous level of IF power present on connection  246 . The output of the power detector  262  on connection  264  is supplied to the inverting input of amplifier  268 . 
   The amplifier  268 , the capacitor  266  and the capacitor  270  form a comparator  284 , which provides the error signal used to control the power amplifier  180  via connection  272 . The non-inverting input to the amplifier  268  is supplied via connection  138  from the output of the modulator  152  through the power detector  276 . The signal on connection  138  is supplied to the non-inverting input of the amplifier  268  and contains the AM modulation developed by the modulator  152  for input to the control port  250  of the power amplifier  180 . 
   The gain of the power amplifier control element  285  amplifies the signal on connection  272  such that the difference between the signals on connection  264  and on connection  138  input to amplifier  268  provide an error signal on connection  272  that is used to control the output of the power amplifier  180 . The error signal on connection  272  is supplied to variable gain element  274 , which can be similar in structure to the variable gain element  232 . However, the variable gain element  274  has a function that is inverse to the function of the variable gain element  232 . The control input to variable gain element  274  is supplied from the inverting output of amplifier  236 . In this manner, the power amplifier control signal on connection  250  supplied to the control port of the power amplifier  180  drives the power amplifier  180  to provide the proper output on connection  156 . 
   The level of the signal on connection  264  and the level of the signal on connection  138  should be equal. For example, if the output level of the variable gain element  232  is increased by a factor of 10, then the level of the output of power amplifier  180  should be decreased accordingly, to maintain equilibrium at the input of the amplifier  268 . The output of the power amplifier  180  changes to cancel the gain change of variable gain element  232 . In this manner, the amplitude of the signal on connection  264  remains equal to the amplitude of the signal on connection  138 . However, this implies that the signal on connection  228  lags the signal on connection  234  with the result that the two signals will not completely cancel. In this manner, an error signal with an AM portion and a PM portion is present on connection  246 . The signal on connection  246  is converted by power detector  262  from an IF signal to a baseband signal on connection  264 . The signal on connection  264  is amplified by amplifier  268  and amplifier  274  and provided as input to the supply control element  300  on connection  168 . The supply control element  300  controls the supply voltage to the power amplifier  180  via connection  250  so that the desired signal is achieved at the output of the power amplifier  180  on connection  156 . The power amplifier control element  285  has sufficient gain so that the error signal on connection  264  can be kept small. In such a case, the gain changes of variable gain element  232  and the power amplifier  180  will substantially be the inverse of each other. 
   In addition to amplifying the error signal on connection  264 , the amplifier  268  also compares the power measurement signal on connection  264  with a reference voltage signal including an AM portion on connection  138 , supplied by the modulator  152 . The DC voltage level on connection  138  affects the desired static output power for the power amplifier  268 , irrespective of AM modulation. The amplifier  268  compares the signal level on connection  264  with the signal level on connection  138  and then amplifies the difference, thus providing a power control signal on connection  272 . The comparator  284  functions as an integrator, which is also a low pass filter. Alternatively, the AM portion of the signal may be introduced to the power amplifier control element  285  in other ways, such as, for example, through the variable gain element  232 . 
   The power control signal on connection  272  drives the variable gain amplifier  274 , which corrects for the effect that the variable gain element  232  has on the transfer function of the power amplifier control element  285 . The variable gains of the variable gain element  232  and variable gain element  274  are complimentary. Because the power measurement signal is present on connection  264  and the AM error signal is present on connection  138 , the amplifier  268  provides a dual function; (1) it amplifies the AM error signal on connection  138  so as to modulate the power output of power amplifier  180  via connection  250  to have the correct amount of AM; and (2) it performs the average power comparison and amplifies the result, thus providing a control signal on connection  272  that drives the variable gain amplifier  274 . The variable gain amplifier  274  provides a voltage signal, V PC , on connection  168 , which includes the AM portion and which drives the supply control element  300  to control the supply voltage delivered to the power amplifier  180 . The supply control element  285  drives the power amplifier  180  to the correct average power output. In this manner, power output is controlled and the desired AM portion of the signal is supplied to the control input  250  of power amplifier  180  and made present on the power amplifier output on connection  156 . The mixer  226 , variable gain element  232 , power detector  262 , amplifier  268  and the variable gain element  274  provide a continuous closed power control loop  265  to control the power output of power amplifier  180 , while allowing for the introduction of the AM portion of the transmit signal via connection  138 . 
   At all times, the closed power control loop  265  allows the correction of any phase shift caused by power amplifier  180 . The phase locked loop  220  now includes a closed power control feedback loop for looping back the output of power amplifier  180  to the input of phase/frequency detector  208 . Any unwanted phase shift generated by the power amplifier  180  will be corrected by the phase locked loop  220 . The output of variable gain element  232  passes any phase distortion present via connection  246  to limiter  248  for correction by the phase locked loop  220 . As such, the phase of the output of power amplifier  180  is forced to follow the phase of the LO signal on connection  155 . 
   To remove the AM from the output of variable gain element  232 , the variable gain element  232  is connected via connection  246  and connection  144  to the input of limiter  248 . The limiter  248  develops a local oscillator signal containing only a PM component on connection  258 . This LO signal is supplied via connection  258  to a divider  260 , which divides the signal on connection  258  by a number, “y.” The number “y” is chosen so as to minimize the design complexity of the synthesizer  148 . The output of the divider  260  is supplied to the phase/frequency detector  208 . 
   An unmodulated input signal from synthesizer  148  is supplied to the divider  202  via connection  155 . The unmodulated input signal is frequency divided by a number “x” to provide a signal having an appropriate frequency on connection  204 . The number “x” is chosen to minimize the design complexity of the synthesizer  148  and can be, for example, but not limited to, chosen to convert the output of the synthesizer  148  to a frequency of 100 MHz. The output of the divider on connection  204  is supplied to the modulator  152 . In addition, the baseband I and Q information signals are supplied via connections  278  and  282 , respectively, to the modulator  152 . The I and Q baseband information signal interface is understood by those having ordinary skill in the art. As a result of the operation of the modulator  152 , the output on connection  252  is an intermediate frequency signal including an AM component in the form of an AM reference signal and a small PM error signal. The output of modulator  152  is supplied via connection  252  to power detector  276 . The output of power detector  276  also includes the AM portion of the desired transmit signal. The signal provided on connection  138  is a reference signal for input to the power amplifier control element  285 . Because the power amplifier control element  285  has limited bandwidth, the rate at which the amplitude modulation occurs on connection  138  is preferably within the bandwidth of the power control feedback loop  265 . 
   The components within the phase locked loop  220  provide gain for the comparison of the PM on connection  258  and the modulator connections  278  and  282 , thus providing a phase error output of the modulator  152  on connection  252 . This phase error signal is then supplied to limiter  248 , which outputs a signal on connection  258  containing the small PM phase error component. 
   The error signal output of modulator  152  on connection  252  containing the phase error, will get smaller and smaller as the gain of the phase locked loop  220  increases. However, there will always be some error signal present, thus enabling the phase locked loop  220  to achieve phase lock. It should be noted that even when the power amplifier  180  is not operating, there will always be some small leakage through the power amplifier  180  onto connection  156 . This small leakage is sufficient to provide a feedback signal through the variable gain element  232  and into the phase locked loop  220  such that the phase locked loop  220  can be locked using just the leakage output of power amplifier  180 . In this manner, a single feedback loop can be used to continuously control the output power of power amplifier  180  from the time that the amplifier is off through the time when the amplifier  180  is providing full output power. 
   The output of the modulator  152  is supplied via connection  252  to a limiter  249 . The limiter  249  cancels the AM component present on connection  252 , thereby preventing any AM-to-PM conversion in the phase/frequency detector  208 . The phase/frequency detector  208  receives an unmodulated input signal from the limiter  249 . The phase/frequency detector  208  also receives the output of divider  260  via connection  206 . The phase/frequency detector  208  detects any phase difference between the signal on connection  256  and the signal on connection  206  and places a signal on connection  210  that has an amplitude proportional to the difference. When the phase difference reaches 360°, the output of phase/frequency detector  208  on connection  210  will become proportional to the frequency difference between the signals on connections  256  and  206 . 
   The output of phase/frequency detector  208  on connection  210  is a digital signal having a value of either a 0 or a 1 with a very small transition time between the two output states. This signal on connection  210  is supplied to low-pass filter  212 , which integrates the signal on connection  210  and places a DC signal on connection  214  that controls the frequency of the transmit voltage control oscillator (TX VCO)  216 . The output of TX VCO  216  is supplied via connection  184  directly to the power amplifier  180 . In this manner, the synthesizer  148 , limiter  248 , modulator  152 , limiter  256 , divider  260 , divider  202 , phase/frequency detector  208 , low-pass filter  212  and TX VCO  216  form a phase locked loop (PLL)  220 , which is used to determine the transmit frequency on connection  184 . Alternatively, the modulator  152  may reside outside of the PLL  220 . When the PLL  220  is settled, or “locked,” then the two signals entering the phase/frequency detector  208  on connections  256  and  206  have substantially the same phase and frequency, and the output of the phase/frequency detector  208  on connection  210  goes to zero. The output of the integrating low-pass filter  212  on connection  214  stabilizes, resulting in a fixed frequency out of TX VCO  216 . For example, the synthesizer  148  and the mixer  226  ensure that the frequency of the signal output from the TX VCO  216  on connection  184  tracks the sum of the frequencies of the local oscillator signal supplied by synthesizer  148  and the IF frequency on connection  206 . 
   When the phase locked loop  220  is locked, the phase of the signal on connection  256  and the phase of the signal on connection  206  will be substantially equal. Because the amount of PM on connection  206  should be very small, the gain in the phase locked loop  220  has to be sufficiently high to amplify the error signal on connection  206  to a level at which the phase/frequency detector  208  can make a comparison. By using the modulator  152  to impose the I and Q information signals on the signal on connection  204  in a direction opposite from which it is desirable for the phase of the TX VCO to move, and because it is desirable for the phase locked loop  220  to remain locked, the phase of the signal output from the TX VCO  216  on connection  184  will move opposite that of the phase imposed by the modulator  152 . In this manner, the PM error signal present on connection  206  is minimized by the very high sensitivity, of the order of many MHz per volt, of the TX VCO  216 . 
   Because the power amplifier control element  285  is a closed loop for AM signals at connection  138 , it is possible to use a non-linear, and therefore highly efficient, power amplifier  180 . Furthermore, the undesirable and detrimental AM-to-PM conversion, which occurs due to the amplitude dependence of an amplifier&#39;s phase shift, is rectified by the power amplifier  180  being included within the phase locked loop  220 . By separating the AM and the PM modulation and by providing closed loop control for both the AM and PM modulation, a non-linear, and therefore highly efficient power amplifier can be used. The supply control element  300 , which will be described in detail below, provides the AM portion of the signal and controls the output of the power amplifier  180  in such a way as to minimize low power inefficiency. 
     FIG. 3  is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment of the supply control element  300  of  FIG. 2 . In this embodiment, the supply control element  300  is implemented as a dual voltage regulator  310 . The dual voltage regulator is located within the closed power control loop  265  created by the power amplifier control element  285 . The power amplifier  180  comprises, in this example, multiple stages of power amplifier modules, indicated collectively at  320 . In this example, the power amplifier stages are arranged in series. A radio frequency input signal (RF IN ) is supplied via connection  184  and the radio frequency output signal (RF OUT ) is supplied via connection  156 . The signal on connection  156  is an amplified version of the signal on connection  184 . In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, the level of the input signal on connection  184  is not proportionally related to the level of the output signal on connection  156 . In this embodiment, the power amplifier  180  is controlled by a reference signal, referred to as V CC  supplied from the dual voltage regulator  310  on connection  250 . 
   The dual voltage regulator  310  comprises a linear voltage regulator  322  and a switching voltage regulator  324 . In one embodiment, the linear voltage regulator  322  and the switching voltage regulator  324  may reside on the same die and may also reside on the same die or on a different die as the power amplifier  180 . The power amplifier modules  320  within the power amplifier  180  are operated in a saturated mode, where the output power is not linearly related to the input power. When properly biased for saturated operation, the output power at connection  156  is related to the V CC  signal on connection  250 . In one embodiment, the power amplifier modules may be implemented as a series of bi-polar transistors in which the supply voltage control signal on connection is delivered to the collector terminal of each bi-polar amplifier module in the power amplifier  180 . This is one possible implementation and is shown in  FIG. 3  for example only. 
   The linear voltage regulator  322  includes an operational amplifier (op amp)  326 , an n-type field effect transistor (NFET)  332  and a feedback connection  335 . The feedback connection generally includes a transfer function, H, of the power control signal, V PC . Since the power amplifier control element  285  ( FIG. 2 ) is used to provide amplitude modulation, the bandwidth of the dual voltage regulator  300  is sufficient to support the envelope bandwidth of the modulated signal. The inverting input of the operational amplifier  326  is coupled to the power control signal, V PC , generated by the power amplifier control element  285  ( FIG. 2 ). Optionally, a level shifter  364  may be implemented between connection  168  and the input to the linear voltage regulator  322  to alter the level of the V PC  signal supplied to the linear voltage regulator  322 . The non-inverting input of the operational amplifier  326  receives the output (V FB ) of a feedback network  337  via connection  335 . The output of the operational amplifier  326  is supplied via connection  328  to the gate terminal of the transistor  332 . The source terminal  334  of the transistor  332  is coupled to a capacitance  352 . The drain terminal of the transistor  332  provides the output, V CC , of the dual voltage regulator  300  on connection  250  to the collector terminal of the power amplifier  180 . The output of the drain terminal  250  is also supplied as input to the feedback path  335 . 
   In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, the dual voltage regulator  310  includes a switching voltage regulator  324 . The switching voltage regulator  324  includes a regulator component  336  and a transistor  338 . In this embodiment, the transistor  338  is shown as a p-type field effect transistor (PFET). The regulator component  336  receives the V PC  signal via connection  168  and supplies an output to the gate terminal  340  of the transistor  338 . The source terminal  344  of the transistor  338  is connected to battery voltage, V BATT  on connection  346 . The drain terminal  346  is coupled to a load inductance  348  and a load capacitance  352 . 
   The source terminal  334  of the transistor  332  is also coupled to the load inductance  348  and to the load capacitance  352 . The switching voltage regulator  324  operates at a high efficiency to reduce the battery voltage from a value of, in this embodiment, approximately 4 volts (V) to a value of approximately 0.8V. The high and low voltage values could be different than stated here and are typically chosen by design. Then, the linear voltage regulator  322  reduces the output voltage of the switching voltage regulator  324  to the proper level that the closed power control loop  265  dictates. In this embodiment, the linear voltage regulator  322  reduces the voltage to approximately 0.5V on connection  334 , which is output on connection  250  to control the power amplifier  180 . The V CC  signal on connection  250  is supplied to the supply terminal of one or more of the power amplifier modules  320 . If the power amplifier  180  is implemented using bi-polar technology in a supply voltage controlled arrangement, the power amplifier  180  is referred to as a “collector voltage controlled” power supply. 
   However, the switching voltage regulator  324  is relatively difficult to implement in systems that have a high operating bandwidth requirement, such as the power amplifier control element  285  and the closed power control loop  265 . The switching voltage regulator  324  has a control bandwidth of about 100 kilohertz (kHz), which is a reasonable bandwidth for a switching voltage regulator having a switching frequency of about 500 kHz. The linear voltage regulator  322  has a bandwidth of approximately 5 MHz to 10 MHz and the closed power control loop  265  has a bandwidth of approximately 1.8 Mhz. The control port (connection  168 ) of the switching voltage regulator  324  is connected directly to the power control signal, V PC , via connection  168 . As mentioned above, an additional voltage shift is provided by the level shifter  364  at the input of the switching voltage regulator  324 . The level shifter  364  provides a voltage offset between the switching voltage regulator  324  and the linear voltage regulator  322 . 
   When implemented as shown in  FIG. 3 , the components in the transmit chain of the portable communication device  100  operate the same as if the dual voltage regulator  310  did not include the switching voltage regulator  324 . The output of the switching voltage regulator  324  on connection  346  coarsely follows the envelope variation due to the amplitude modulation, thus minimizing the voltage drop across the linear voltage regulator  322 . Accurate amplitude modulation is delivered to the power amplifier  180  via the supply voltage control signal over connection  250 . Essentially, the switching voltage regulator  324  minimizes the voltage headroom desired for accurate operation of the linear voltage regulator  322 . The switching voltage regulator  324  provides a coarse voltage adjustment, the linear voltage regulator  322  provides a fine voltage adjustment, and the power amplifier control element  285  and closed power control loop  265  provide additional fine voltage adjustment. The switching voltage regulator  324  and the linear voltage regulator  322  are dynamically adjustable based on the value of the power control signal V PC  supplied by the power amplifier control element  285 . 
   The switching voltage regulator  324  has a relatively narrow bandwidth while the linear voltage regulator  322  has a relatively wide bandwidth. Therefore, while the switching voltage regulator  324  coarsely follows the input signal V PC , it cannot replicate the high frequency variation in the input signal. The linear voltage regulator  322  has a much wider bandwidth than the bandwidth of the variation in the input signal, V PC , and can therefore follow variations in the input signal, V PC . The bandwidth of the switching voltage regulator  324  is intentionally chosen to be small to reduce any voltage ripple in its output. The bandwidth of the linear voltage regulator  322  is intentionally chosen to be large to both filter out the noise and ripple in the output of the switching voltage regulator  324 , and to be able to follow the input signal, V PC . The reduction of the noise and the ripple in the output of the switching voltage regulator  324  and the linear voltage regulator  322  is done by the closed AM power control performed by the power amplifier control element  285 . 
   Due to the closed loop operation of the power amplifier control element  285  control of the switching voltage regulator  324  and the linear voltage regulator  322  is generated within the closed loop architecture. Thus, the control of the dual voltage regulator  310  is more accurate than if implemented using an open loop power control system. In addition, implementing the dual voltage regulator  310  in a closed power control loop allows the dual voltage regulator to tolerate wide parameter variations, and it provides the error correction within its loop bandwidth, including the noise from the switching voltage regulator  324  and the linear voltage regulator  322 , and any residual products of the switching voltage regulator  324  not compensated by the linear voltage regulator  322 . 
     FIG. 4  is a diagrammatic view illustrating an exemplary transmit envelope  400  illustrating the operation of the dual voltage regulator  310 . The horizontal axis  402  represents time and the vertical axis  404  represents the voltage on the control terminal of the power amplifier  180 . The curve  406  represents battery voltage. The curve  410  illustrates the operation of the switching voltage regulator  324 , whereby the switching voltage regulator  324  performs a majority of the voltage regulation illustrated by the area indicated at  422 . In this example, a majority of the voltage regulation is performed by the switching voltage regulator  324 , which is significantly more efficient than the linear voltage regulator  322 . The curve  420  illustrates the operation of the linear voltage regulator  322 , and illustrates the fine voltage adjustment performed by the linear voltage regulator  322 . The area  424  indicates the voltage regulation performed by the linear voltage regulator  422 . 
     FIG. 5  is a flow chart illustrating the operation of an embodiment of the power amplifier control element. The blocks in the flowchart can be performed in the order shown, out of the order shown, or can be performed in parallel. In block  502 , the switching voltage regulator  324  receives the V PC  signal from the power amplifier control element  285 . In block  504 , the switching voltage regulator  324  coarsely adjusts the battery voltage. An example of the voltage regulation provided by the switching voltage regulator  324  is regulating the battery voltage from approximately 4V to approximately 0.8V and is indicated in  FIG. 4  as the area  422 . The switching voltage regulator provides this regulation at an approximate 90% efficiency. 
   In block  506 , the linear voltage regulator  322  receives the V PC  signal from the power amplifier control element  285 . In block  508 , the linear voltage regulator  322  finely adjusts the battery voltage. An example of the voltage regulation provided by the linear voltage regulator  322  is regulating the output of the switching voltage regulator  324  from approximately 0.8V to approximately 0.5V and is indicated in  FIG. 4  as the area  424 . The linear voltage regulator  322  provides this regulation at an efficiency lower than the efficiency of the switching voltage regulator  324 , but because the regulation provided by the linear voltage regulator  322  is substantially less than the regulation provided by the switching voltage regulator  324 , the overall efficiency of the dual voltage regulator  310  provides efficient voltage regulation. The linear voltage regulator  322  reduces the noise and the ripple in the output of the switching voltage regulator  324  through the correction provided by the AM power control through the power amplifier control element  285 . 
   In block  512 , the operation of the power amplifier control element  285  in the closed power control loop  265  continually fine tunes the output of the dual voltage regulator  310  by providing a continually adjusted V PC  power control signal. 
   In block  514 , the dual voltage regulator  310  controls the output power of the power amplifier  180  by controlling the supply voltage, V CC  delivered to the power amplifier  180 . 
   While various embodiments of the invention have been described, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that many more embodiments and implementations are possible that are within the scope of this invention. Accordingly, the invention is not to be restricted except in light of the attached claims and their equivalents.

Technology Classification (CPC): 7