Patent ID: 7957712

Claim:
A method of processing an input information signal of varying amplitude and phase to obtain an amplified output signal, the method comprising: for desired output signal amplitudes below a first level corresponding to a first pre-determined threshold, decomposing the input information signal into two pairs of constant-envelope component signals such that the vector sum of the first pair of component signals is orthogonal to the vector sum of the second pair of component signals; for desired output signal amplitudes above the first level, decomposing the input information signal into two pairs of constant-envelope component signals such that the vector sum of the first pair of component signals is separated by less than ninety degrees from the vector sum of the second pair of component signals; generating a plurality of amplifier input signals from the constant-envelope component signals; amplifying each amplifier input signal with a separate amplifier element; and combining the amplified signals to obtain the output signal.