Integrated power supply and modulator for radio frequency power amplifiers

• Main Authors: Li Wei, Perreault David J, Dawson Joel L, Tkachenko Yevgeniy A
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 05.09.2017
• Subjects: AMPLIFIERS; APPARATUS FOR CONVERSION BETWEEN AC AND AC, BETWEEN AC AND DC,OR BETWEEN DC AND DC, AND FOR USE WITH MAINS OR SIMILAR POWERSUPPLY SYSTEMS; BASIC ELECTRONIC CIRCUITRY; CONTROL OR REGULATION THEREOF; CONVERSION OF DC OR AC INPUT POWER INTO SURGE OUTPUTPOWER; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER; ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE; ELECTRICITY; GENERATION; TRANSMISSION

Described embodiments provide an integrated power supply and modulator system. The system includes a magnetic regulation stage, a switched-capacitor voltage balancer stage, and at least one output switching stage. The switched-capacitor voltage balancer stage is coupled to an output of the magnetic regulation stage, and maintains a substantially ratiometric set of voltages with respect to a reference potential. The magnetic regulation stage includes an inductor and at least two switches to selectively couple the inductor to two or more of (a) an input of the magnetic regulation stage, (b) a first voltage node of the switched-capacitor voltage balancer stage, and (c) a second voltage node of the switched-capacitor voltage balancer stage. The output switching stage selectively couples at least two voltages from the switched-capacitor voltage balancer stage to an output of the system in response to control signals. The system may include startup circuitry, feedback/feedforward circuitry, and control circuitry.